Big, Bad, and Red
by serindarkwolf19
Summary: Sixteen year old, city slicking orphan child, Rex Rory lives in Alabama and he has only one arm. What else can go wrong? Oh...yeah. He just met a huge alien robot that turns into a big, tempermental, red Mack semi truck.
1. Chapter 1 The Accident

**Title: **Big Bad and Red

**Genre: **Action/Drama/Friendship

**Rating: **T for mild language, some violence, some crude humor.

**Summary: **Sixteen year old, city slicking orphan child, Rex Rory lives in Alabama and he has only one arm. What else can go wrong? Oh.....yeah. He just met a huge alien robot that turns into a huge, red Mack truck.

* * *

**~Chapter One~**

_The Accident_

* * *

_They say that life flashes before your eyes when you're looking into the face of Death. It's said that you get to see your entire life, see the faults, the good and bad memories, things you don't want to see and you get to see how this entire thing started in the first place. _

_Rex Rory wasn't entirely sure about that. _

_All he knew was that the life flashing memories that he was seeing as electricity danced all around him, threatening to strike at him and end everything he had ever been through.....they were just everything that lead up to this moment. This moment where his best friend was getting electrocuted by the power lines he had just gotten tangled up in because of the true bad guys of the world. His best friend who came to rescue him from the bad guys when they kidnapped him. _

_And now, he was paying for the price for it. He was offlining into stasis lock. _

_"MAGNUS!!!!!!!" Rex Rory could only scream out his best friend's name._

* * *

It all started many months before this situation even began. Almost a year ago, Rex's life took the turn for the worst. But it was this turn that would change everything in his life. At this time, he was a very happy teenager, smiling as he listened to the soft music that soured throughout the humongous room filled with people and fake silver snow was falling onto the stage where his mother was singing with her serenade voice.

"Say you will share with me one love, one life time. Stay a while and I will follow you." She sang, while her hair of dark brown flowed down her front and back like curtains. She looked so beautiful, wearing her silver and white sparkling gown with a velvet red hooded cloak trailing around her shoulders. Of course, Rex always knew his mother, Marian Jones Rory was beautiful, even as she performed on the stage of Broadway. "Share each day with me, each night, and each morning. Say you love me."

"You know I do." Her fellow Broadway singer sang back to her as he took her hands and pulled her close to him, looking so passionate towards her character.

"Love me, that's all I ask of you!" They both sang together before bestowing a stage kiss with one another before the entire room burst into cheers and applause. They pulled away still holding each other's hands. "Any where you go, let me go too. That's all I ask of you."

Then the lights dimmed onto the dark figure standing behind one of the large Styrofoam carved gargoyles as he sang his part of the number.

Another hour later, the show ended with explosive music and the audience going wild with applause and cheers as the curtains fell to close. Rex was on his feet, applauding hard and then stuck his fingers into his mouth whistling loudly. The curtains opened up again, revealing the entire cast with his mother standing between her fellow Broadway stars; the two men who played her love interest, Raoul and the Phantom of the Opera.

But Rex's eyes never left his mother as she stood with her fellow stage actors. He just smiled as he watched her turn her head a little into his direction and looked directly at him, smiling lovingly at him as she held up a hand and waved at him before sparing a wink at him. He laughed silently and winked right back at her, knowing that she wouldn't see it but she would know that he did it back. It was something that they always did. Rex's smile grew when he saw his father come onto the stage, carrying a huge bouquet of dark red roses towards her, which had everyone smiling and applauding harder as he presented them to her. And together, they kissed, making everyone go wild.

After the show, Rex was hurrying through the crowded back stage, smiling when some of the actors greeted him with high fives and pats on the back. He blushed a few times when the gorgeous dancing girls pulled him into tight hugs and kissed him on the cheeks before letting him go on to finding his parents.

"Hey, Rex!" One of the actors; the man who played Raoul greeted him as he saw him. He was a very good person and he was nearly best friends with his parents. They had done a lot of shows together. "Enjoy the show?" He asked, arching an eyebrow at him but grinning.

Rex couldn't help but grin right back at him and nod as he went over high fived him when he offered. "Every time, Jameson! You were great during the sword fight with Carter! The way you jumped over that huge tomb to try and stab him!" He began waving an invisible sword around, pretending he was having his own sword fight with an unseen enemy.

The actor, Jameson, and a few others laughed and shook their head as they watched him go at it. They even cheered him on as he thrust his invisible sword and 'slayed' the bad guy. "Yeah, get him, Rex!" The actor cheered before clapping him on the back. "Your mom's in her dressing room with your father and some men. I think they're guys from Hollywood." He said, winking at him with a grin.

It couldn't be helped as Rex's eyes widened with excitement before he turned and darted through the crowd of actors, who laughed as they watched him go. They knew him very well by now. After all, his parents had been in the showbiz for a very long time and even longer together. They had known the boy since he was even born, practically living behind the stage for his entire life. He even traveled with them when they went out of the state to perform. It was a part of his life as he was a part of theirs.

Rex quickly found his parents in one of the dressing rooms, talking to two men and looking very enthusiastic. His mother was still wearing her costume with a white silk robe over her shoulders, smiling as she leaned against her husband and listened to what the men had to say. But as soon as her son appeared in the doorway, she looked over at him and smiled rightly.

"Rex." Marian said brightly, cutting off the men. She wasn't trying to be rude but she couldn't help it. She loved her son more than anything, even her life of Broadway. She waved her son into the room as the two men turned to look at him while his father smiled grandly at him.

Grinning back, the 15 year old hurried into the room, rushing straight to his mother and threw his arms around her, hugging her tightly. "Mom, you were great! You looked so beautiful out there!" He told her.

"Thank you, darling." Marian said as she brushed his ginger brown hair out of his deep brown eyes before turning him to face the men. She and her husband, Quinn Rory placed their hands on his shoulders, smiling at the two men. "Gentlemen, this is our son, Rex Rory. Rex, these men are from Paramount Pictures. Mr. Greggory Kreeson and Mr. Paul Freeman. "

The two men smiled at Rex, offering their hands to shake his, which he was polite and shook each of their hands. "Nice to meet you, Rex. We were just telling your parents that we were very impressed with the performance." Mr. Freeman told him, grinning before looking at Marian and Quinn before folding his hands together. "We're actually here to talk to them about signing up for a movie deal. Our employer has watched your mother perform many times and think she would be perfect for a part in a movie." He looked back at Rex, whose eyes were growing wider with excitement. "What do you think, squirt? You think you'd want to see your mom in the movies?"

Rex's mouth fell open as he looked even more excited as he looked at his mother, who was laughing his father. "Are you kidding?! The movies?! That'd be so cool! Does that mean we get to go to Hollywood?! Can we go to Disney Land?! How about Sea World! Can we, mom and dad?! Can we?!" He said excitedly.

Everyone in the room laughed as Marian ran her fingers through his uneven hair, pushing his bangs back again. "It's not official yet, Rex." She told him before wrapping her arms around him and resting her chin on top of his head. "Next week's show is going to be when we find out."

Quinn Rory nodded as his rest his hand onto his shoulder. "That's right, kiddo." He looked back at the two grinning men. "So what's going to happen if we do get the deal?"

Mr. Kreeson cleared his throat before folding his arms, still smiling. "Well, our big man is going to be bringing a few hot shot directors and even some actors with him to next week's show and let them see Marian perform. If they like what they see, we'll all sit down and talk about the deal." He even spared a glance at Rex. "Even your son, if he'd like. If we seal the deal, we'll be arranging your flight to California. You'll probably end up moving there, though. Because movie deals are pretty serious stuff and it would be difficult to have you fly back and forth across the Country for the shootings."

"That's not going to be a problem." Quinn told him, smiling as he dropped his hand from Rex's shoulder. "We're kind of used to moving around a lot because of the shows."

Both of the men nodded. "Well, anyway, that's the gist of it. I'm pretty sure it will work out because our boss is very excited and he's really optimistic about your wife. He's willing to create a partnership with you so that you could be a co-director or something. Since you are Marian's manager, after all." Mr. Freeman told him before offering his hand and shaking each one of the three's hands, followed by Mr. Kreeson's hand. "It's going to be great working with you. And we're looking forward to your show next week."

"We're really excited about it too. We're actually going to have a bit of a surprise performance after the show too." Quinn said grinning before glancing at his son, giving a wink.

Rex smiled right back and returned the wink. He knew exactly what his father was talking about and he couldn't wait for it, himself.

That night, after a little bit of a party with the rest of the broad way stars and extras, the Rorys went home to their small pent house and got ready for bed. Of course, even though he was a little too old for it, Rex's mother came in to tuck in her son. She had done it since he was a baby and she wouldn't stop now. Not that Rex cared. His parents were his life. If anything were to happen to them, he honestly didn't know what he would do.

So, lying in his bed, Rex smiled up at his mother as she sat beside him, brushing her fingers through his hair and humming "Slipping Through My Fingers" from Mama Mia. It was a song they did enjoy together. Marian even sang it to him a few times, though substituting the words_ "her"_ for _"him", _making it their song.

"Mom." Rex spoke, his voice very quiet as he started to drift off. He could barely keep his eyes open from her voice of serenade as it was. "Mom......I love you." He murmured.

Marian just smile as she bent over and kissed his forward before resting her forehead against his. "I love you more, Rex." She whispered to him.

"Nah-uh. I love you more." Rex murmured before he drifted off.

Smiling, Marian just scooted herself down his bed, lying beside him as she kept running her fingers through his hair, humming again. She glanced up only once as her husband came in, smiling before joining them on Rex's bed, on the other side. Together, the family of three fell asleep, arms wrapped around each other.

* * *

Music exploded throughout the entire theatre, the entire cast singing and dancing to the production of Mama Mia. The Broadway song they were singing was the song itself, Mama Mia. Lights were flashing and even some of the audience were out of the seats, dancing and singing along with the cast. No one else seemed to mind because they were doing it too.

Marian was playing the part of the mother of the bride, her hair pinned up high as she sang to her fullest with Jameson and the rest of the cast. But as the song began to end, with only the music blaring out, it surprised quite a lot of the audience as it began to take on a high rock tune and Quinn came out with a microphone in hand. And it surprised the Audience to see the band of Black Sabbath come out onto the stage, playing the rock music. The audience went wild but died down just a little so that Quinn could make his announcement.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and our honored guests!" Quinn Rory said into the mike, grinning before motioning to Black Sabbath. "Here is a special treat for all of you! Black Sabbath! Along with a very special person to Marian Jones! Her own son, Rex Rory singing with them!" He threw out his hand just as Rex came running onto the stage, high fiving each of the men before he went over to take the mike from his father. He gave him a one armed hug before blaring out into a hard rock version of Mama Mia. The crowd went wild while Rex sang the song with Black Sabbath and the entire Broadway cast.

"That was awesome!" Paul Freeman exclaimed once the performance over and he was leading a group of grinning people through the back stage. Some of them were already going over to talk to the band of Black Sabbath, talking enthusiastically with him. Freeman and Kreeson, however, went straight to the Rory family and held up his hand for Rex to slap. "Dude, you are definitely your mother's son! You can really sing!"

Rex blushed with a shrug as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Nah. Not like mom or even dad. Dad's a better singer than me. He just really doesn't like singing in front of huge crowds like mom does." He said.

Everyone laughed while Marian hugged her son tightly. "You did very, sweetheart! I made sure Jacob recorded it too!" she told him teasingly, which caused him to blush hot red.

"Dude! You totally rocked out there!" Jameson said as he joined them before throwing his arm around Rex's shoulders when Marian stepped back to let him. He looked at the movie people grinning while pointing at the teen. "Guys, suggestion from a Broadway star. You better find something for this kid too! Cause he had a bunch of girls out there cooing for him!"

"Ah!! Shut up!" Rex yelled, his face turning bright red as he lightly shoved a laughing Jameson away. Everyone within the area just laughed as they all turned their eyes onto the family of three and the movie people.

Marian and Quinn wrapped their arms around Rex, hugging him together as they turned their attention onto the directors. "So, what'd you think?" Mr. Rory asked.

It went dead quiet for a moment as all eyes were on the movie directors, who put very thoughtful looks on their faces. They were sure drawing it out for a bit. It almost made Rex nervous to see that they were frowning as they looked his mother over then Quinn and then him. He was almost holding his breath and he was sure that more than half of the Broadway cast were doing the same.

Then one of the directors grinned and nodded. "Let's make a movie!" He said, grinning.

As soon as he said that, the entire back stage, broad way cast, Black Sabbath and the family exploded with cheers as they began clapping the family of three on the backs and congratulating them. And all Rex could do was beam up at his parents, feeling so happy that they were moving onto bigger things. And they were doing it together.

That night, the Rory family went out to their favorite pizza parlor to celebrate their new situation. Any one they knew congratulated and applauded them after learning what they would be doing for the next few days. Everyone seemed to be happy for Rex and his parents. And once they were done celebrating, they started on their way home.

By that time, it began to pour outside. Rain was coming down so hard that the city roads were moving very slow as everyone tried to get home for the night. The Rory family, however, belted out Broadway songs together, not ready to end their celebration just yet. They might have as well just kept it up because it was taking so long to get home, due to the rain and some construction that was going on. Rex really couldn't wait till they moved to California though. He was kind of tired of all the rain and as far as he knew, there wasn't too much near the West coast. It was mostly just sunny skies and clear waters. He couldn't wait to hit some of the beaches either. He even joked to Quinn about how he was going to check out girls in bikinis when he got the chance. His parents only laughed with him.

"So, dad, when we get to California, can we go to Disney World? Or Sea World?" Rex asked, bouncing a little in the back seat.

Quinn chuckled as he looked into his rear view mirror at his teenage son, while shaking his head. He had to admit it, but it was amusing watching his son be so excited. "We're just going to have wait and see what happens, Rex. We might not get to do it for a little while though. First, we have to get there and moved into the new house before meeting with the directors and finding out when they're going to start filming the movie. The things take some time." He told him.

Marian nodded as she turned and smiled at Rex, lightly squeezing his knee to get him to stop bouncing. "Your father's right, Rex. But I promise you. We will get to go sometime as a family." She promised.

Nodding, Rex looked back out the window, grimacing as he watched a huge crane moving several metal beams across the way. The beams were somewhat swaying back and forth because of the rain and wind and he couldn't help but think that that was very unsafe. It made him feel a little nervous of them. "Dad," He said, before looking up at his father. "Can we get moving away from this place? I seriously don't feel safe around that thing."

"Oh, relax. Even if these guys are stupid enough to work in the rain, it's going to be fine. Cranes like that are built to withstand this kind of weather." Quinn told him before reaching forward and starting to fiddle with the radio so that they had something to listen to.

Rex really didn't pay too much attention to what was being said. All he knew was that there was some kind of news report about how there a terrorist attack in Mission City, Nevada. He didn't like the sound of it, but he'd rather not think about it. His mind was set on the crane and the beams right now.

Quinn and Marian started talking about it, sharing their concerns about how the government really wasn't doing their job right if terrorists were attacking their cities. Since 9/11, things had been pretty hectic and like a lot of American people, there were some doubts about the Government.

It was right at that moment Rex noticed a few construction workers starting to yell over the rain. Some of them seemed to be arguing about something and that had his interest. He could only wonder what they were fighting about.

Just then, several of them jumped as a loud horn went off, startling all of them. It even got Quinn and Marian to quiet down as they looked out the window. Rex only frowned as he watched the workers as they looked up before his eyes grew wide when one sharply turned towards their car, waving his arms. He was shouting something towards them and running towards them.

"Dad......." Rex said, now very uneasy. And then he turned his eyes upward when he noticed that some of the workers were pointing up at the crane and his eyes snapped wide open with alarm and fear. "DAD! MOM!" He screamed, now starting to grab at his seat belt.

But it was too late.

For the falling metal beams, weighing a few tons came crashing down onto the hood of the Rory Family's BMW, crushing it under all of that weight. Everything for Rex went dark.

* * *

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

'What was that god awful annoying sound?' Rex thought as he felt himself starting to wake up from his sleep. It didn't sound like his alarm clock. It was a little quiet to be his alarm clock and the beeps were going way too slow between. It was so very strange to him. He wondered if it might have been his parents' alarm clock he could hear.

But, no. He knew that his parents' clock didn't sound like that. It was a very high pitched alarm clock and by the first three beeps, he knew that his father would have silenced it. This alarm clock was continuing beeping.

Rex continued to just lay there, listening to the strange beeps before he realized how drowsy he felt. But that was impossible right? He shouldn't feel this tired. And why was his face aching a little? Did he somehow fall off his bed again and hit his head while he was sleeping? He wanted to laugh at the thought. It wouldn't have been the first time.

In fact......

'Wait.....' Rex began to think when he realized that it wasn't just his face that felt sore. He couldn't help but groan in pain when he realized that his left arm was really starting to hurt. It didn't feel like the normal tingling feeling of it falling asleep after sleeping on it. It really, really started to hurt. 'What the......? Why does my arm hurt? Did I land on it when I fell out of bed?' He thought painfully before he started to push himself to waking up.

It was that moment he realized that the pain he was starting to feel felt kind of dull. It was like.......something was numbing the pain. He didn't like it. So he pushed even harder.

Rex finally began seeing light behind his eyelids and it only took him a moment to start opening them. He was sure having a very hard time waking up. 'Hey.' He thought to himself again. 'What.....why.....what's on my face?'

Finally his eyes flickered open and he saw a bright light, blinding his vision. The walls he saw before him were so painfully white and it made him squint. He tried blinking but it didn't completely help. He let out a long painful sigh before lifting his right hand and reaching for his face. His fingers brushed against something covering his mouth and nose. It felt like plastic or hard rubber. He let his eyes flicker open again, letting them cross a little so that he could see what it was and his eyes narrowed in confusion. It looked like......a mask of some kind.

Shaking his head, he grabbed at it, his fingers pushing between an elastic string and he began pulling it off of his head. Doing so hurt though, making him groan and hiss as his head began to swirl from moving. He felt so dizzy and it was almost painful to breath.

It took a moment to pulling the strange mask off before holding it up and looking at it with a bleary gaze. He had to blink several times to try and clear his vision. But after a moment, his eyes lit up in surprise. He couldn't believe what he was seeing in his hand. 'Is that......?' He thought in confusion as he eyed the oxygen mask. "Wha......?" He tried to speak, his voice cracking and feeling so itchy. He began to realize of how thirsty he was after pulling that thing off of his face. 'What am I doing wearing......?' He thought before shaking his head and dropping it onto his chest.

Rex closed his eyes for a moment, trying to get rid of the dizziness he felt before reopening them when he heard a door open. His eyes felt heavy again but he fought to keep them open, blinking rapidly to keep them from drying. He suddenly realized that the person that just walked in was a nurse.

It became very clear to him that he was in the hospital.

'Wha-?!' Rex thought with alarm as his eyes grew wide and he began looking around the crème colored room. He saw a machine next to his bed and that was where the beeping sounds were coming from. It didn't even take him a second to recognize it as a heart monitor. And the beeps were starting to speed up because of the fear he was starting to feel.

"Well, I'll be." The nurse spoke up when she realized that he was awake. She tried to smile at him with a middle aged smile and moved over towards him. "You're finally awake. Good. You had be a might bit worried, you know that, Rex?" She asked.

'How do you know my name?!' Rex thought almost fearfully as he tried to open his mouth and demand her that. But no sound came out. He felt his voice cracking and it caused him to start coughing.

The nurse grimaced before she turned and picked up a large plastic mug full of water. She brought it over, while pushing a button and let the hospital bed start sitting Rex up. She brought the mug close to him, directing the straw towards his mouth. "Here, take a drink, Rex. It'll help. And try not to panic. It's okay."

Still very confused, Rex allowed her to slip the straw into his mouth and he carefully took a drink, ending up coughing a little from the sudden cold water that hit his very dry tongue. He cleared his throat a few times before trying it again and wetting the inside of his mouth. Once he was relieved from the itchiness in his throat, he looked up at the nurse, questionable. He tried to lick his lips, hoping that might help a little. "Wh.......where......where am......?" He tried to ask.

The nurse gave him the gentlest of smiles as she put the mug of water down and began readjusting his bed sheets and blankets. "You're at the New York General Hospital, Rex. In a recovery room." Her face softened into a look of sorrow, as if she pitied him. "I don't think I'm the right person to tell you this but you were in a very terrible accident."

A quick flash of a memory shot through Rex's mind and he suddenly remembered seeing a crane and several metal pipes. He remembered the construction workers starting to yell and one had started running towards his family's BMW.

But what happened.......?

Right at that moment, a middle aged doctor walked in, carrying a file but he wasn't alone. There was another man with him. He didn't look like he was a doctor or male nurse or anything. He wasn't even dressed as the same. In fact, he looked like he didn't even belong in New York. He was wearing blue jeans and a red and black flannel shirt, which was tucked in. His dark brown, nearly black hair was somewhat long enough to pull into a ponytail at the nape of his neck and his face was somewhat grizzled with whiskers. He looked kind of like a Country folk. His face, however, seemed so very familiar. His deep brown eyes almost matched his father's eyes, his eyes. Rex couldn't help but think that he had seen this man before. But from where? Who was he? When the man's deep brown eyes met his, a wave of sadness flickered over them and he looked almost very sympathetic. He looked as if he pitied Rex. But still, the teenage boy couldn't help but try very hard to remember where he had seen this man. And why did he look like his father......?!

'Wait a minute!' Rex thought suddenly, remembering now. He remembered seeing this man's face in a picture of the family album. He remembered he had flipped through album a few times and had seen this man. If his memory served him right, this man was his father's older brother. This man was Rex's uncle. 'What was his name again? Jerry? Jonathan? Louise?

"Well, looks like our patient is awake." The doctor said, smiling gently before making his way around the bed, leaving Rex's uncle to stand in the doorway and watch the boy almost sadly. "Hello, Rex Rory." The doctor said again, standing at the side of the bed. "I am Doctor Leonardini. I've been treating you for the past few days now. You sure gave us quite the scare, you know? How are you feeling?"

Rex didn't answer but looked at the doctor and then over to his uncle that he couldn't remember his name. He didn't ever remember meeting his father's brother. If he remembered right, his father had told him that there had been a fallen out between the two. So what was he doing here?

"Ah, you know your uncle, Jeffery Rory." The doctor stated.

'Oh, yeah! Jeff the jackass, as dad always called him.' Rex thought, almost snickering at the memory of Quinn calling his brother that only to get scolded badly by Marian. He then crinkled his nose to himself. 'Where the heck did I get Louise?'

"Hello, Rex." Jeffery Rory simply said, his voice very quiet though. He didn't make any other attempt to say anything else. He just watched the teenage boy with that sorrowful look.

"Rex, how are you feeling now? Is your arm giving you any pains?" Doctor Leonardini asked, looking him over and preparing to write down in that file he was holding. He tried to chuckle when Rex looked up at him almost confused before looking at his right arm, as if looking for what might be wrong with it. The chuckle was very faint though, almost forced but it died down immediately when he realized that laughing was only going to make things worse. "Not that one, Rex. Your left arm." He said, his voice very soft and full of sympathy.

Again, Rex frowned before he turned his head, trying to lift his left arm. It became very clear of how much his left arm started hurting from moving it. And for only a moment, he was very confused. Why couldn't he see his left arm? He knew he was lifting it.........

The heart meter nearly went wild when Rex realized why he couldn't see his left arm. He felt like he was going to start to panic and rightfully so, he started to. His heart began pounding so hard in his chest, while his breath painfully caught in his chest.

His left arm.......it wasn't even there.

"Oh.....oh......my.....god." Rex murmured, his breath catching between each word coming out of his mouth as he started at the bandages wrapped around the stump he now stared wide eyed at. "Sh......shi-shit! Wh-wh.......!! Whe-where.......wha.......!"

No one even bothered to scold him for swearing. No one could blame him for his reaction. From only the corner of his eyes, Rex saw his uncle starting to grimace almost painfully and his eyes started to water from the emotion. There was so much pain and sympathy in his water brown eyes and he started to cry for Rex. His face began to change to a shade of light red from all of the emotions he was bottling up before he lift his fist and pressed it against his mouth tightly.

"Where is my fucking arm?!" Rex couldn't help but exclaim.

"Hey, hey. Now, now. Don't be swearing like that, Rex. There's no need for it." The Doctor told him, though he didn't look like he blamed him as he let loose a sad sigh. "This is going to be very hard for me explain. I don't even know of how much you remember." He then grabbed a chair in the corner and pulled it closer to the bed so he could sit down on it, looking at Rex with sorrow. "Rex, four nights ago, nearly a ton of metal beams came crashing down onto your family's car. It demolished the BMW, with you and your parents in it. According to some of the investigators, the chains that held the beams snapped and that's how they came down." He sighed, shaking his head while Rex stared at his left stump with horror. "Your arm, Rex, was crushed under the weight of the beams. There was no way to save it. So we didn't have a choice but to amputate it." He explained.

His breathing picking up rapidly, Rex looked wide eyed at the doctor, his chest hitching a little. He didn't like the sound of this at all. He remembered seeing the beams coming down but that was it. He didn't remember anything else. He didn't even remember getting pinned under the beams or being pulled out of the BMW. But if he was in this kind of state......what about his parents?

"Wh-where's my mom and dad?" Rex breathed fearfully. "I want to see mom and dad! Are.....are they......?!"

The look on the doctor's face nearly killed the teenager. Such sorrow and pain flickered across the middle aged doctor's eyes, causing Rex to catch his breath. Doctor Leonardini looked almost like it was going to kill him if he told him what kind of state that his parents were in. But he didn't need to. Somehow.......Rex knew what kind of state his parents were in. And they were worst than he was. And it took his uncle to explain.

"Rex," Jeffery Rory murmured, his voice full of painful emotion as he started to break down again. "I.......I'm so-sorry. Your par-parents.......they didn't make it. They were killed instantly from the accident. They didn't even feel any pain."

Those words caused so much pain to Rex. He had to just stare at his uncle, almost horrified that he would even dare say that. "What.......what the hell.......?" He tried to yell before his voice failed him and he shook his head, his eyes flooding with tears. "No. No." He began shaking his head before the tears starting to trail down his cheeks. "NO! NO!! NO, NO, NO, NO!!! DON'T TELL ME THAT!!! THEY'RE NOT DEAD!! THEY'RE NOT........!!!" And he just broke down, crying and covering his face with his only good hand.

And along with him, Jeffery Rory, the doctor and the nurse let tears escape their eyes as they looked at the teenager with sympathy. Of all days of working at the General hospital, seeing the pain that many families had been, seeing all of the tears that shed for their lost loved ones......it was Rex's tears that neither the doctor or the nurse would ever forget for the rest of their lives.


	2. Chapter 2 A New Unwanted Home

**Title: **Big Bad and Red

**Genre: **Action/Drama/Friendship

**Rating: **T for some strong language, some violence, mild adult content, some crude humor.

**Summary: **Sixteen year old, city slicking orphan child, Rex Rory lives in Alabama and he has only one arm. What else can go wrong? Oh.....yeah. He just met a huge alien robot that turns into a big, temperamental, red Mack semi truck.

* * *

**~Chapter Two~**

_A New Unwanted Home_

* * *

The funeral for Quinn and Marian Rory took place only a few days after the news was broken to Rex.

It was day that Rex cursed with every inch of his soul. He hated the fact that the sun was shining brightly and was so beautiful. He hated the fact that it was warm instead of cold. He hated the fact that every single person that came right up to him during the viewing, they cried and said that they were sorry. He hated the fact that the construction workers who had been running the crane that fateful night had even dared to showed their faces at his parents' funeral, saying of how sorry they had been for what happened. The main boss of the Construction Company was even there, offering him compensation for their deaths. And Rex hated it. He simply loathed every single person that showed up.

Yes.

Rex Rory; fifteen years old, almost sixteen within only a few short months, was a very, very bitter person within the next few days. He refused to talk to any one after finding out that his parents were dead. He wouldn't talk to the doctors or the nurses. He especially wouldn't talk to his Uncle Jeffery. He wouldn't talk to Jameson when he came in with tears streaming down his cheeks. He didn't even say a word to the movie men, Freeman and Kreeson when they came to express their sympathies and apologies.

He never said a word with each passing day.

And for some of those days, all he did was sit and stare at the wall and sometimes sleep. He refused to eat, drinking only water when his throat got too dry. It worried a lot of people but he didn't care. His parents were dead. And because they were dead, he pretty much was dead. They had been his life and reason to breathe. And now they were gone.

So at the viewing and even the funeral, all he did was sit and stare forward, not seeming to even realize people were trying to say words to him. He was pretty much catatonic the entire time.

Jeffery Rory stayed at his side most of the time, getting up now and then to stretch his legs and thank anyone for coming. He watched silently as Broadway stars that his brother had interacted with before his death tried to give their apologies and sympathies to his nephew. Some even tried to hug him and kiss his cheeks. But a lot of them stared at the stump that was his left arm, stunned of what had happened to it.

A lot of people stared.

It wasn't until with a lot of people staring did Jameson decide to speak up and start snapping at people for staring at Rex's lost arm. He was doing it because Rex wasn't. He knew very well that if the teen wasn't still in so much shock and grief, he'd probably do it himself and worst. He remembered what kind of temper the boy could have if he really didn't like something. He was just like his father. If something really wasn't going right, snap would go the temper. Quinn had been almost like a walking time bomb when he had been alive. Calm and quiet for quite a while until the right time went off. And then he became an explosive device, yelling at people and saying strings of swear words. It sometimes scared a lot of people. They would think he was a psychotic nut ready to start killing people.

Only one or twice did Jameson see Rex nearly do the same. That time, he had laughed his ass off because the boy was nearly the spitting image of his father. The only person that shut him up faster than someone shoving a singing jack in the box back into its cube was his mother. She was the only person that could soothe Rex's temper, and even Quinn's. But Marian was gone now. She wasn't there to stop her son from exploding.

"Rex," someone had tried to speak up, trying to get his attention. It was a dark skinned woman in a black dress suit. She was very beautiful but Rex really wasn't seeing her. She wasn't alone. There was a man with her. He was white, though. So it wasn't her husband, or Rex didn't think so. But still her words that he barely heard told him that the man wasn't. "Rex Rory, my name is Jennifer Murphey. I'm a New York Social worker. This is my partner, Earl Whyte......."

"Jen, I don't think the kid is even listening to you......" The man was saying.

The woman reached up without even looking at him and smacked his arm. "Shut up, Earl." She then turned her full attention back onto Rex, bending down in front of Rex and looking right into his dark eyes. "Rex, I'm so, very sorry about your loss. I've been talking to your uncle and your friend, Jameson. They've told me that you were so very close to your parents. It breaks my heart to hear what happened to them."

'Shut the hell up and go away, lady.' Rex wanted to say but he couldn't get the words to even rise out of him. He couldn't deal with this right now.

Of course, the woman didn't realize he was starting to feel a little hostile. "Rex, you have to know something though. Your uncle, Jeffery Rory is the only closest relative you have right now. According to my files, your mother was adopted and her parents died a long time ago, so it's out of the question about them. So you're going to have to go live with your uncle." She told him.

Snap.

Rex suddenly blinked right out of his catatonic state and looked at her rather surprised. He wasn't sure he just heard her right. "Wh-what?" He asked, surprising quite a lot of people who hadn't heard him say anything for the past few days. "What......what.......are....you talking.......I can stay with Jameson! Or Carter! Or......." He started saying frantically.

Beside the woman, Jameson stepped up into Rex's line of vision, looking very sorrowful but he shook his head and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I'm sorry, Rex. But you can't stay with me. I'd love to have you come live with me, bud." He told him, apologetic. "But.....it's not.....suitable for you. I'm always throwing adult parties at my place and I've got guests over and it's not something that someone your age should be around, Rex."

"But.....but.......!" Rex started raising his voice, looking frantically around for anyone that used to work with his father. A lot of heads were shaking and a lot of their owners were looking as pained as they had to tell him no. "But.......! I don't want to stay with Jeff the Jackass!"

A few snickers rose up and even Jeffery cracked a smile as he raised a hand and rubbed his forehead. "I can't believe he told you about that name." He muttered, meaning his younger brother.

The woman, Jennifer Murphey had even smiled but she was still looking very saddened by everything. "I'm sorry, Rex. It has to be your uncle. He's the only one that you can go live with." She reached up and placed her hand onto his right shoulder. "I'm really......."

"Shut the fuck up and don't touch me!" Rex snapped pain in his eyes.

"Rex Rory!" Jeffery snapped, now the mild humor all gone and a lot of people standing around Rex looked surprised at the language that just came out of his mouth. "You watch your mouth! I will not have you swearing at the nice lady like that."

Angry and hurt and full of powerful grief, Rex stood up and moved away from everyone, glaring around at the many faces. He was starting to feel smothered and claustrophobic. There were just too many people all around him. He needed to get away. Backing away from them, he began weaving through the people, ignoring his uncle as he called after him.

"Let him go. He needs some time alone, Jeff." Jameson said, probably stopping him.

Rex didn't know where he was going to go but he needed to be away from people. He pushed past people, ignoring some of the calls he got from people he knew. He just had tears streaming down his cheeks as he nearly ran through the halls of the mortuary before coming to a door. He tried to push at it with his one hand but it was so heavy. He groaned as he applied all of his weight to shoving it open and managed to open it a little.

Still, it wasn't enough for him to open it by himself. It only frustrated Rex further. He needed both of his hands to push the damn door open.

Tears flowing down his cheeks, he tried to push harder, only finding that it was starting to zap his strength away. He could feel eyes boring into his back though, watching him as he fought with the heavy door. He couldn't stop himself from sobbing in pain as he tried to ram the door with his right side, keeping his face turned away from people. It was just too heavy for him to open it with one........

And then it opened easily.

Surprised, Rex looked up at who just opened it for him and saw a tall and thin man, watching him with sympathy. He was a man that he didn't recognize at all. He had light brown hair, somewhat balding a little and there was a mustache on his face. He wasn't even crying like everyone else was, but there was a lot of sadness in his eyes. He was wearing a black suit, just everyone though. And at his side, he held a silver suit case.

The man must have been watching Rex struggle with the door and couldn't take it any more. He couldn't stand watching the boy with one arm fight and nearly hurt himself for just trying to open a damn door. So he went forward and helped him. "Here, Rex." He spoke softly.

Still staring at him in surprise, Rex slowly nodded thankfully before turning and slipping through the door. He knew the man was still watching him as he went outside. But he didn't care.

"Tom, what are we doing.......?" Someone had asked almost impatiently.

"I'm paying my respects to an old classmate, Simmons. Shut the hell up. I know we need to get back to the base to talk to our big friends. We'll get moving in a little bit. But I just need to see Quinn before he gets buried." The man snapped at his partner before letting the door close and he went into the viewing room.

Rex looked up into the darkening night sky with blurry eyes, letting the warm tears trailing down his cheeks. He couldn't believe this was happening to him. He couldn't believe that he lost his parents, he was now an orphan, he had only one arm and now he had to go live with his uncle. The uncle that his father had gotten into a serious fight with that nearly ended their relationship together. He didn't even know what reason it was that the brothers had fought each other about. But Rex was his father's son. If his father hated someone, then he should have to.

Still, his heart was still breaking from the fact that he no longer had his parents. They were gone. He would never his mother sing again. He would never feel his father's hand ruffling his already messy brown hair. They would never fall asleep in the same bed as him, holding onto him with their loving embrace.

"M-mom........." Rex murmured his voice thick with emotion. "Dad......." His head dropped down until his chin hit his chest before his knees gave out from under him and he fell to the ground, catching himself with his right hand when he almost toppled onto his face. He grimaced as he looked hatefully at his left stub and shook his head. "Mom, Dad, why did you leave me with this? Why couldn't you have taken me with you?" He ground out before closing his eyes and just sitting on his heels, head bowed and tears streaming down his cheeks.

* * *

The next day, Rex buried his parents.

* * *

And the day after that, he packed up all of his things.

* * *

And after that, he and his uncle drove in his big Dodge Ram pick up truck, with some of Rex's belongings in the back and drove to Jeffery's home in Alabama. So for about two days, Rex was stuck listening to old country music with his uncle, staring out at the rolling hills speeding past them. Again, he had fallen into a state of silence.

Jeffery had tried to explain the new situation to him and Rex did listen. He just didn't answer him when his uncle tried to ask him about something. According to Jeffery, he and his lived out on a farm in Alabama. They mostly grew hay and cotton on their farm and took care of chickens and turkeys, making a profit off of them. They did pretty well, according to Jeff. A lot of the** _Alabamians_**, as he Jeff called the people of the state, bought things from them. He also told Rex that his wife and daughter, Jan and Terra made jewelry out of quartz crystals. His oldest son, Derrick helped out on the farm and was a deputy for the Sheriff. Jeff had tried to joke with Rex about him staying out of trouble because his cousin could arrest him.

The joke fell flat though and Jeff decided that jokes with Rex were out. So it was a quiet trip on the way home.

Finally, they arrived to Jeff's farm house, which wasn't too far from the town of Brewton. Rex had to frown when he saw the somewhat Victorian styled house, surrounded by fields of hay and cotton. There was a horse corral in the back of the house with a few horses, running around the oval pitch fences. It was actually a very nice looking place. He spotted where they kept the chickens and turkeys on the far side of the house. There was a very pretty woman out on the patio, talking to a few older ladies, using fans to cool their selves. It was pretty hot, now that Rex thought about it. He was starting to think twice about wearing black.

Rex also spotted a pair of very pretty girls about his age hanging up bed sheets near the house. One was a blonde and the other had rich brown hair trailing all the way down to her waist. They were both wearing short shorts and tank tops, so he couldn't help but gawk at them as they bent over to pick up another sheet and hang it up.

A chuckle from beside Rex told him that his uncle just caught him staring with his mouth open. His face starting to heat up as he tore his eyes away the pair of girls.

Of course, the approaching truck caught everyone's attention and made all of them look up before anyone started to approach the truck as it slowed to halt. Rex felt nervous about meeting all of these people. Especially the girls. He couldn't help but spare a glance at his left stub, grimacing. He knew they were going to stare. Just every one had at his parents' funeral.

"Welcome home, Rex." Jeffery told him as he turned the truck off and then stepped out, giving him a smile. "Come meet everyone."

Rex stared at him for a moment before tearing his eyes back to the women starting to stand around the truck, offering him smiles of sympathy when they saw him looking. Some even tried to wave at him, trying to be all friendly like and encourage. He didn't share the smiles but watched his uncle go to the very pretty brown haired woman and gave her a kiss before nodding to the other women. From the open window, he heard Jeff say, "Ladies, try not to stare. He doesn't like it."

"Stare? What are you talking about, Jeffery?" An older woman, probably in her fifties asked, narrowing her eyes with a frown. Her accent like Jeff's and probably everyone's was very thick of the South.

The only answer she got was a long sigh before Jeff turned and looked right at Rex. He had to frown a little bit when the teen didn't get out yet. He didn't really blame his nephew for wanting to stay in the truck. He knew very well that it was his left arm that was bugging him and how he didn't want anyone to look at it. But sooner or later, people would see it and and they probably would stare. "Rex, you can't stay in there forever. Now get out here." He told him.

Rolling his eyes, Rex grabbed the door handle and pushed it open before carefully getting out, holding onto the door for support. He watched as several eyes widened when they saw the left stump and had heard a few gasps.

"Oh, my dear lord! What happened to that boy's arm?!" One of the women gasped.

Jeff shot that woman a look while Rex gritted his teeth and tore his eyes away, feeling his face flushing hotly. He hated this. He was nothing but a freak show to all of these people! That's all he was to anyone now. He was a one armed, orphaned freak!

"Maple!" The beautiful brown haired woman hissed at her friend before looking over at Rex with a kind smile. She approached him with arms open wide to take him into a hug. "Welcome home, Rex. I'm your Aunt Jannet. Call me Jan, though." She gathered him into a hug, though he was feeling very awkward as he wrapped one arm around her, not able to do it with both. She just pulled away, keeping an arm around his shoulders as she turned him towards the pair of girls. "Terra, get over here and greet your cousin." She scolded the girl.

The teen girl looked somewhat taken aback but then she forced a smile and rushed forward to hug Rex next. He could tell she was a little uneasy about hugging a one armed boy though. He caught her glancing at it as she pulled away but she was fighting herself from not staring at it. "Hi there, Rex! I'm Terra!" She then motioned to her pretty blonde friend. "That's my best friend, Sally May!"

"Hi, Rex!" Sally said, smiling. She was fighting herself from staring at his arm too.

"Well, Rex, you have another cousin around somewhere, but you'll have to meet Derrick later. He's probably out scolding those Markey brothers." Jan Rory said, giving him another squeeze.

Jeff snorted loudly as he spared his wife a look and shook his head. He looked like he just wanted to laugh his ass off. "Don't tell me those trouble making pissing their pants brothers are at it again. What they do this time?" He asked, impatiently.

The women all laughed and shook their heads and rolled their eyes. "Them two brothers tipped Old Ronald's tractor into the pond again. Now your boy's making 'em pull it out. I swear, Jeffery." One of the women said, shaking her head. "Your boy's going to end up being the youngest sheriff we've had! He'll probably end up being the best too!"

With only a grin on his face, Jeff shrugged before turning and started grabbing things. "Welp, if it happens then it happens. Terra, you and Sally May help me with some of this stuff. We'll set Rex up in the guest room." He stated.

Grimacing, Rex pulled away from his aunt and started for the truck. "Uh, that's okay! I can get them......" He was saying as he tried to reach over the high bed and grab something. He grunted a little when he tried to lift something but found it way too heavy to lift with one hand.

"Oh, that poor dear." One of the women whispered to another.

It made Rex grit his teeth again but he kept trying to pull one of his suitcases down from the bed but it was caught. He felt his face flushing hot red from embarrassment as he began jerking at it to pull it loose.

"Rex, that's enough. Why don't you come inside instead?" Jan said softly as she went over and placed her hands onto his shoulders. "It's much too hot for you anyway. You must be dying of heat because of all that black that you're wearing." She tugged his hand free from the suitcase and steered him towards the house. "Terra, you and Sally help your father take Rex's things in."

"Yes, mama." Terra said, not sounding annoyed at all. In fact, she sounded like she had been laughing.

All Rex could do was grit his teeth and look away, his face very hard as he glared off to the side. He was so embarrassed. All he was trying to do was be polite and not make the girls have to carry anything and now they were laughing at him just because he couldn't even lift his own damn bags. He turned his eyes downward and glared at his stump hatefully. Jan must have seen it because she sighed softly and wrapped an arm around him, gently hugging him. "Don't give up so easily, Rex. You can do anything if you try." She told him softly before leading him into the house.

* * *

That night, at supper, Rex started glaring at his plate of food. He couldn't help it. It wasn't the fact that he hated it. No, it was actually very delicious. He learned that Jan was a very good cook and the fresh squeezed lemons turned into lemonade were mouth watering. He had never really had a good home cooked meal like this before. His mother hadn't been much of a cook herself and neither had his father. They had spent most of the time eating out at restaurants and such.

No.

The reason why he was glaring was because his cousins were staring. At least, Terra was. Twenty-two year old Derrick, whom he finally got to meet, stole a few glances at the left stump but he was doing well to not staring. Jeff and Jan were eating calmly without even looking at his arm and talking about the funeral. But it was very clear that they were both getting irritated by their kids.

"So, Rex," Jan said, shooting her children a dark look which they quickly adverted their eyes to their plates of food. She then went back to smiling at her nephew. "Tell me about yourself. Are you anything like your mother? She used to sing, right? A club singer?"

Stony faced, Rex tore his eyes away from everyone and shook his head. "Broadway. She was one of New York's favorite Broadway stars." He murmured.

Jan actually looked interested, her face brightening and she sat up straight. "Broadway? Really?! That's so fascinating. I would have given anything to go see a Broadway show! Do you like to sing and dance too? I'm sure you do. You look so much like your father though. He was always such a handsome fella. It's too bad......

"Can I be excused?" Rex interrupted, not wanting to be there any longer. He just felt pressured again.

There was a short silence as everyone looked at him, though Terra and Derrick didn't look like they approved at all. Even Jeff was frowning at the thought. If it was a different situation, he wouldn't allow it. But Jan was already nodding with a gentle smile on her face. "Yes, Rex. You may be excused. Just leave your plate there and I'll take care of it. If you need anything, don't be afraid to ask." She told him in a gentle tone. Rex nodded his thanks before scooting his chair out and standing up, heading for the main hall to go upstairs. He stopped out in the hall though when he heard Terra begin complaining. So he couldn't help but stop to listen.

"Why does he get to leave without finishing his supper? I thought we were supposed to finish dinner together!" Terra complained, sounding annoyed.

There was a long sigh as everyone went back to eating, though Jan was scooting out her own chair and taking care of Rex's plate. "Terra, he's just getting here. This is his first day under our roof so we've got to adjust a little so he can be a little more comfortable here." She said, sounding very stern. "He's had a very hard for the past few days. How'd you feel if your pa and me were the ones who died, Terra? How'd you feel if you lost everything you ever knew?"

Terra let out a defeated sigh she dropped her fork against the plate and slumped in her chair. "I'd probably be upset just like he is." She let out another sigh. "I suppose he's not going help out with the chores on the farm either, is he?" She asked sounding a little irritated.

"Terra, what can he do around here?" Derrick spoke up, sounding like he was going to laugh. "He's only got one arm when it takes two hands to work a farm."

Hearing those words clenched Rex's heart very painfully and he clenched his one fist tightly. He saw his 'cousin's' point. And it really hurt him, bad. He knew that there was a lot he was going to have to do to adjust to his new situation. Especially when he had been left handed to begin with. Now he would have to learn how to write with his right hand.

"Derrick! You will watch what you say at this table and you will not disrespect your younger cousin in my house!" Jan snapped, nearly slamming the plate down with a loud clatter. The sound even made Rex jump at the sound and he was sure it was the same for Terra and Derrick for they went deathly quiet. "Especially dealing his arm! It is not Rex's fault for what happened to it! If you continue to talk like that, you will not be welcomed to share supper with us again!"

"Aw, come on, ma. You know I was joking 'round." Derrick told her, scooting his chair back a little.

"Your one arm jokes won't be tolerated in this house any more, Derrick." Jeff spoke up, sounding very cross. "They were funny before Rex got here. Now they ain't funny."

"Jesus, sorry I said anything. I don't see what the big deal is anyway. You didn't like Uncle Quinn anyhow. You were always talking about how he turned useless because he decided to be a singing and dancing side show. The kid is a city slicker. He probably doesn't know one lick of hard work on a farm. If his mama was some big star, they probably had servants to work for them." Derrick complained again.

"That will be enough of that, right now!" Jan said sharply. "No more talking and finish your supper."

Rex had heard enough anyway. He couldn't help but grab the front of his shirt and clench it into his fist before he decided to just keep going to the stairs. He almost jumped though when the floor creaked loudly and all noises within the other room went quiet. He grimaced before just heading up the stairs to the guest room, his new room. It was no doubt that his alternative family had heard that loud creak and shut up. But he honestly didn't care.

Sitting at the window, staring out at the starry night, Rex couldn't but shed a few tears as he thought about every thing that he'd been through within the past two weeks. He felt as if his life had been utterly destroyed. Everything he had known was gone just like his parents. And being in that house, he didn't feel like he fit in at all. He felt so unwelcomed in that house. His uncle didn't seem too bad but he couldn't help but feel that he might not like Rex any more than he had liked his own brother. It was more than likely that the teenage boy reminded him of his younger brother that he so disliked. His aunt was nice enough. She was rather kind and she seemed to be very willing to change her life style a bit for him to fit in.

But Terra and Derrick.......they didn't even like him. Rex didn't need them to tell him that for him to know. To them, he was a one armed freak show. He really wasn't looking forward to going to school there in Brewton. If his cousins didn't like him, what made him think that the rest of his age would?

* * *

The next few days were very hard on Rex. He mostly stayed in his room when he could but now and then he would venture around the house and outside to see what exactly they did around there. He learned very fast that they didn't get too much TV time or anything. They didn't get very many channels at all. Fun was limited too, though Rex really wasn't looking for it.

No one really asked Rex to help out on the farm either. Early mornings, he heard his aunt and uncle get up first and begin their days before his cousins followed and started to getting for whatever they did. As far as Rex understood, Terra was in high school and she caught a bus to get out there. Derrick would help out with some of the chores before taking off for work. Eventually, Rex started getting up early too just to watch the sun rise over the many trees surrounding the Rory farm. Sometimes he would watch as his uncle went out into the hay and cotton fields, checking on his plants before watching as Aunt Jane went to feed the chickens and turkeys.

Now and then, he began exploring the farm, walking near the chicken and turkey coops, watching as the frantic birds pecked at the ground or eyed him warily as he walked by. Rex even tried to befriend the horses a bit. That didn't work out. The horses didn't seem to take to strangers too well so they mostly stayed away from him, even if he offered a fist full of hay or oats.

There was a large willow tree with very low branches that Rex had started hanging out by every day. He would sit on the branches, watching his uncle and a few men that came every day to help him out. They had seen Rex a few times but never ventured over to talk to them. They were just too busy to do anything.

Eventually it got too boring and Rex started to pick up pencils or pens and tried to learn how to write with his right hand. It was very hard. His hand writing had become very sloppy and he couldn't help but think that it looked like he was from the first grade again. As it was, he had never been to a real school. He had been home schooled due to the fact that his parents were too busy to sign him up in school. Not that Rex cared at all. He hadn't minded being home schooled. And he didn't care that he didn't have many friends his age. He had had all the friends he ever wanted from the Broadway stage. Jameson, Carter, Jacob, everyone. But now......they were gone, still in New York City while his parents were dead and he was there in Hicksville! And soon enough, he'd have to join this own generation in a building, learning things he probably knew from his parents.

Yep. He wasn't looking forward to school at all, which he found out a few weeks later that he would start going to after getting readjusted. This was going to be a disaster.


	3. Chapter 3 One Armed Freak Show

**Title: **Big Bad and Red

**Genre: **Action/Drama/Friendship

**Rating: **T for some strong language, some violence, mild adult content, some crude humor.

**Summary: **Sixteen year old, city slicking orphan child, Rex Rory lives in Alabama and he has only one arm. What else can go wrong? Oh.....yeah. He just met a huge alien robot that turns into a big, temperamental, red Mack semi truck.

* * *

**~Chapter Three~**

_One Armed Freak Show_

* * *

Nearly a month had finally passed by since Rex moved in with his relatives and he was still having a hard time. He grew so bored and eventually Jeffery started asking him to help out with the minor chores like helping Jan feed the animals in the mornings. He learned very fast how to hate chickens and turkeys. He had always expected them to always run away when he went into the coop houses with Jan. But that was not what these ones did. They ran to him for the feed. The first time they did it, it startled Rex too much that he tried jumping away from them and ended up dropping the bucket of feed, much to the crazy birds' delight. Jan had laughed a little herself and said that it was okay. It was his first time. The turkeys also proved to be quite the handful. Especially a huge male one. He was mean as they could come and had chased Rex a few times when he got too close to the females. It took Jan kicking the bird in the tail feathers to make him stop chasing the poor kid.

There were cats on the farm too, as Rex soon learned. They weren't house cats at all and hardly ever went into the house. There was about five of them and they were all brothers and sisters. They were mostly there just to take care of the mice and rats that tend to wander onto the premises. Rex didn't mind cats too much and especially these ones. There was only one cat among the five that he started to really like. A big mangy black one, who seemed to be the oldest of the lot.

According to Aunt Jan, the black one had been the runt of the litter, which surprised Rex. He had thought that the runts were suppose to stay small and even voiced that thought to his aunt.

Jan laughed. "Well, that's very true. The runts tend to stay small. But some, like him," She nodded to the big black cat lounging in the sun with the others. "He learned very fast how hunt for mice and rats. He especially loves rats. He was pretty much left to fend for himself other than what I did for him when he was a kitten. But he learned. He's the best mouser that we have." She told him.

"Mouser?" Rex asked, frowning at her.

His aunt smiled at him as she went back to collecting some of the chicken eggs in the hen house. "That's what you call cats that hunt for their food. Some of them won't eat cat food. Just whatever they catch. That Ol' black cat won't eat cat food either. The others will, but he won't." She told him.

Rex turned his eyes back onto the cat, biting his lip. "What's his name?" He asked curiously.

"Well, around here, we just call him Black Cat. Your old uncle calls him The Terror." Jan said laughing. "Around here, some people are a little superstitious and it's believed that black cats are bad luck or are servants of Satan." She shook her head with a light snort as she glanced over at Rex. "But when I hear people say that, I just have to turn to them and say that black cats are only black because they can sneak up on the vermin better at night." She nodded to the cat. "As for him, you won't find a finer black cat or any mouser cat than him. He doesn't really have a name but if you want to give him one, then go right ahead. I won't stop ya." She told him smiling.

Turning his eyes back onto the cat, Rex stared at him for the longest time before slowly nodding. "Black Jack." He simply said, looking at his aunt, wondering how she might think of it. Jan only smiled at him and nodded her approval.

A few days later, while at dinner, Jeffery broke the news to Rex.

"Tomorrow, Rex, I'll come wake you up. No sleeping in." Jeffery told him as they ate their dinner that night.

Well, Rex was actually just poking at the meatloaf that Jan had cooked that night. It was very delicious, he had to admit. He didn't have much of an appetite because of his arm. It was giving him some pains for the past couple of days. The doctors had warned him that now and then some pain might pick up a lot. It was still healing and there were some therapy sessions he had to go to twice a week to get to work with his new situation.

"Rex, are you listening to me?" Jeffery asked, somewhat irritated.

Blinking only a few times, Rex tilted his head towards his uncle and glanced at him, giving a swift nod before going back to trying to eat his supper. "Yes, Uncle Jeff." He murmured quietly, ignoring the look he got for from Jeff and Derrick. He only briefly caught sight of Terra rolling her eyes before she went back to just digging into her food.

Jan tapped her husband's arm, shaking her head at him when he looked very irritated at the lesser respect that their nephew was giving him. It was a known fact that in their house, whoever they were talking to was suppose to look right into their eyes. They had told Rex that a few times now but he still didn't do it. Jan was the only one who didn't take it too literately, even if it annoyed her husband. Jeff returned the look before shaking his head and looking stonily back at Rex. "Rex, you look at me when I'm talking to you." He told him, sternly.

"Jeffery." sighed Jan, but she was ignored.

Letting out a sigh, Rex turned his eyes upward and met his uncles. He hated all of the rules that his uncle kept laying down on him. He knew it was respectful to look someone in the eyes when they were talking but still, there were just too many rules that Jeff kept telling him. Like, turning off the lights by 11 o'clock. There was no staying up late in this house without permission from the man in charge of the household.

Nodding only once, Jeffery lift his head higher, looking Rex directly into the eyes. He was still a little annoyed with his nephew but he would get over it. "Now, like I was saying. You have to get up at the same time as Terra in the morning. I'm going to be driving both of you to school tomorrow." He told him.

Again, Rex blinked, only this time in surprised. "School?" He asked, the word sounding more like dread on his tone.

"Yes, school. What, you think you didn't have to go?" Jeffery asked a mild smile on his face. "Sorry, boy. But it's the law everywhere."

"Pa, are you saying he's going to my school?" Terra asked, almost horrified.

Both, Jeffery and Jan gave their teenage daughter the same dry look while Rex glanced at her before looking away. He was feeling pressured again. He felt so unwelcome at that table with his uncle and aunt and his cousins as they kept glancing at him or at his arm. He just wanted to disappear again. "Can I be excused?" He murmured.

"Ye......." Jan began to say, giving Rex a gentle smile.

"No!" Jeffery said sharply, overriding his wife's words, giving Rex a very stern look. He did not look happy and neither did his two kids. He ignored the light pat on his arm from Jan, dropping his fork with a loud clatter as he grabbed the napkin beside him and wiped his mouth. He even ignored the startled but hard look that his nephew was giving him. "Rex, you are apart of this family now. If you are going to live in my house, you are going to follow the same rules as Terra and Derrick. You will eat with the family and finish the meal with the family. You will go to school with Terra and you will do good, boy." He shook his head as he continued to stare sternly at Rex. "Now I'm not making you do any major chores like them, but you will start helping out around here. You want to a roof over your head, you will follow rules. Now finish. Your. Supper."

Rex only briefly saw the smirk on Terra's face as she dipped her head down so that her parents couldn't see. Derrick didn't look like he cared either way. He was just enjoying the meal his mama made while glancing through some kind of newsletter. So with a very quiet sigh, Rex began shoveling the meatloaf into his mouth, even though he could barely taste it. All he was eating was misery. He was missing his parents more and more.

The next morning came way too soon for Rex. He hadn't gotten much sleep as it was because of his arm. He had taken his pain killer pills that the doctors had given him for whenever his arm started to ache. So when it started aching again, he had a hard time sleeping.

But in the morning, he ended up getting up at the same time as Terra, thanks to his uncle. He was so not looking forward to this at all. He knew that it was going to turn very ugly if he went to school. If his own cousin couldn't stand him going to her school, what made anyone think that he would fit in with anyone else? But rules were rules, as his uncle constantly kept telling him. So he would deal with it.

As Jeffery had said, he drove Rex and Terra to school that morning, who were doing their best to ignoring each other. It took about a half an hour to reach the Brewton High School and when they did get there, Rex felt even more uneasy. Especially with so many students interacting with each other outside the building. There were a lot of them in the parking lots, laughing and smiling, pushing their friends around in joking ways. It looked more like a rally than just hanging out.

And Rex couldn't help but feel that more than half might have been waiting for him to arrive because a lot of them glanced over at the truck and watched it as it pulled up to the front.

Beside him, Jeffery let out a very low sigh before glancing to his right across Rex at his daughter, almost giving her a warning look as she smiled out the window, waving at some of her friends. "Terra, didn't I tell you not to make a big deal about this?" He asked almost dryly.

Terra looked over at him, almost innocently confused. "What?"

Rolling his eyes, Jeffery just pulled the truck into a parking spot before turning off the engine and giving his daughter a look again. "Terra, let Rex out for a minute." He glanced at his nephew. "Just hang tight, Rex. I'm just going to have a word with your cousin for a minute. Just stand next to the truck near the tail gate." He told him.

Glancing at one another, Rex and Terra both slowly got out of the truck though, he was doing it very slowly, looking around uneasily as more than what he hoped eyes were watching him. He was wearing a jacket so that it would hide his stump from view but it would be a matter of time before all of these peepers would notice that his left arm wasn't even there. He glanced around and saw that people were watching him apprehensively and were eying his left side at the jacket sleeve hanging at his side with frowns. They looked almost confused so he knew his deception was working for now. But it annoyed him nonetheless. He should have been expecting this. He knew that Terra probably told all of her friends about him. So he couldn't help but nearly press his left side against the truck, trying to hide his stump from view, while looking a little bitter.

Either way, even though they were still in the cab, Rex heard his Uncle Jeffery yelling at Cousin Terra. The words were somewhat blurred but there were a few easy to hear. He was yelling at her for making a huge show out of Rex.

So by the time, the huge lecture was done, Terra looked pretty upset, shooting Rex a look as she climbed out of the truck before stomping away through the crowd to where her friends were. There was a group of boys that she went to, but Rex also spotted her friend, Sally among them. She met up with Terra, looking concerned for her but she didn't look annoyed as a few others did when they listened to Terra complaining about why her father was yelling at her. She glanced up towards Rex, meeting his eyes for a moment before lightly shrugging in his direction and letting a quick smile form on her face before looking back at Terra, saying something that made her laugh.

"Welp, you ready?" Jeffery asked as he joined Rex near the tail gate as he reached into the bed and grabbed a one strapped backpack and held it out to him.

Rex didn't answer as he let his eyes flicker around the entire parking lot, meeting several eyes watching him before he tore his eyes away completely, looking at the red metal of the Dodge truck. "Let's just get this one armed freak show over with." He grumbled. He was only mildly surprised when his uncle lightly patted him on the back before steering him towards the school.

"Montgomery! What the hell you looking at?!" Jeffery eventually yelled out at some kid that was staring at Rex's left jacket sleeve with an almost sarcastic look. Of course, hearing the man yelling at him, he quickly tore his eyes away and turned his back onto them, making a grimace at his friends.

In fact, a lot of people did the same. Obviously, everyone knew Jeffery Rory and they didn't like to cross him.

As Rex had expected, quite a lot of people stared at him as he passed by them in the halls of the school, being led by his uncle to the office. All he could do was keep his head low and try not to meet any eyes. He could hear whispers too and all it did was making him feel worst. But the whispers quickly shut up when Jeffery shot those doing it a look of warning.

It wasn't just the students though that were staring at him. Rex caught sight of some of the teachers watching him go by. But unlike most of the students, they didn't look critical. They actually looked sympathetic. It was enough to make Rex groan to himself before moving closer to his uncle. He might have not liked Jeffery too much but at least he was more comforting than anything else.

"I've seen Marian Jones perform. She was beautiful and had a celestial voice."

Rex's feet suddenly stopped moving as his eyes snapped wide open. He had not been expecting to hear someone say his mother's name and couldn't help but look up to see who just said it.

Not too far away, there were four teachers talking and some of them were watching Jeffery and Rex go by. But it was no doubt that one of the two men among the four teachers had spoke. He was smiling at the others, talking about Marian Jones, Rex's mother. He didn't even seem to realize that Rex had heard him. "Yeah. The West Side Story broad way show. She was actually very talented. She was the best singer among the entire cast." He told the other teachers.

"Come on, Rex." Jeffery said, not even seeming to notice that the teachers were talking about his late sister in law, or if he had, he didn't care. He only placed his hand on Rex's back and steered him on.

"Uncle Jeff," Rex finally said, looking up at him. "That teacher back there, the one talking to those other ones........"

Jeffery shook his head as he kept his eyes forward, heading straight for the office. "Harry Remington. The Drama teacher." And that was all he said, before pulling Rex into the office and waving at the secretary. "Howdy, Mary Ann. Got a new student for ya." He was already saying to a rather short and stubby woman, though she looked like the cheery type. Rex could already tell that she was the gossiping type of women. Especially as she started twittering about her neighbors to Jeffery as she started typing at the computer.

This was going to be a long day.

And pretty much the entire day, people stared at Rex or just talked in whispers. No one really made attempts to talk to him, even during class. He was introduced to the entire class in his home room, which happened to be Sophomore English. The teacher was a nice short balding man though. He greeted him warmly and asked him to talk about himself, the usual routine when you were a new student at a school.

"My name is Rex Rory. And I'm from New York." was Rex's words the entire time. He didn't say too much about anything else in each of his classes when he was asked to talk about himself. And no one seemed to push him. He already got the idea that everyone knew the story about him anyway. Especially as teachers gave him sympathetic looks and students just stared at his left side.

Of course, none of the teachers asked him to take off his jacket during class, which he didn't want to anyway. People were staring at the useless sleeve as it was. He knew that they would stare if they saw his stump.

However, in Gym, it didn't turn out so good in Rex's favor. Because his new gym teacher seemed to be the only one that didn't know that he was one armed and he didn't care. It was due to the fact that once he got into P.E., the huge guy who looked like he was on steroids so he could pass up like a football player told him to take off his jacket while in the gym.

"New Guy! Rex Rory!" The deep voiced huge guy yelled across the gym while everyone was already starting to work out, stretching and jogging in place when he came out of his office. He was staring down at a clipboard in his hand, not looking up at where Rex was sitting on the bleachers. "You're first up since you're the new kid."

Rex froze for a second from watching some of the girls as they stretched their legs and looked up at the large steroid taking-looking guy with a confused frown. "Huh? First up for what?"

The huge gym teacher still didn't look at him but began pacing back and forth in front of the stretching students. "I want to see what you're capable of. I want you to drop down and give me as many push ups as you can. I'll count. After that, crunches."

The entire gym went dead quiet as every single student turned to watch what was happening. A lot of them looked just as surprised as Rex did while some started to laugh and joke with each other. Rex just stared at the teacher with alarm before he sat up straighter and slowly shook his head. "You're kidding, right?" He asked, uneasily.

"Do I look like I'm kidding, newbie?" The Gym teacher demanded, yet he still didn't look at him writing something down on the paper before waving him forward. "Now get over here and do it!"

"Uh......Mr. Montgomery," a tall black boy said, pushing himself off the benches where he had been stretching. "He........"

"Shut it, Trythal. Rory, do it!" The Gym said as he lift his head up to give the boy, Trythal a dark look before looking back at him.

Rex slowly shook his head as he carefully pushed himself to his feet and approached teacher slowly. He couldn't believe this. Did this guy not know that he had only one arm? "I.....can't." He murmured, glancing around when he saw several people wince and look at their friends. He started to get the feeling that was not the answer he should have given.

Finally, the teacher lift his eyes and looked directly into Rex's eyes, almost sternly. He didn't even seem to notice that the left jacket sleeve he was wearing was just hanging there uselessly. The look he was giving Rex made him step back just as uneasily. "Rory, if you don't drop down and give me push ups right now, you're going to fail this class! Now get that damn jacket off and do it!" He jabbed a finger towards Rex when he tried to open his mouth to say something. "Now!" He boomed. "Wearing jackets during gym class is against my rules! In my gym, I'm God! Now do what I told you before I give you a red mark and send you to the office!"

Rex cringed away from Mr. Montgomery for a moment before glancing around the room, almost like he had just beaten for no reason. He couldn't believe this happening on his first day of school. His face felt hot from the embarrassment he was about to feel as he looked back at the glaring teacher, who looked like he was about to stomp over and rip the jacket off of him, himself.

Closing his eyes for a second, Rex shook his head before reaching up and grabbing at the buttons of his jacket. He was fully aware that whispers were starting to pick up all around him. He felt humiliated that he was being forced to show his stump to everyone but he just didn't want to get into trouble. So he just grabbed at the jacket and pulled the left side off first, ignoring the gasps that broke out throughout in the entire gym as soon as everyone else saw the bandages covering Rex's stump. More or less, the gym teacher's eyes lit up in surprise, proving that he hadn't known about the new student's condition. So obviously, he was the kind that didn't listen in staff meetings.

But either way, Rex took off his jacket and tossed it onto the bleachers, giving Mr. Montgomery a look for humiliating him. "I can't do push ups." He said again before giving his left stump a hated look then looking back at the teacher.

"What the hells bells.......?" Mr. Montgomery suddenly said before looking into Rex's eyes. "What did you do your arm? Cut it off before you came to class so you didn't have to do a P.E. test?!"

Jaw clenched, Rex gave him a loathing look before turning sharply and scooping up his jacket, throwing it back on. He didn't even look back as he stormed towards the doors, not even listening to the teacher yelling after him or to all of the other students talking about excitedly about his arm. He just wanted to get out of there.

Storming out of the gym, Rex didn't care about where he was going. He just wanted to be away from people. He just wanted to be away from the staring and the whispers and everything. He just had to get away. So he decided to take his bag and go outside, heading straight for the large football stadium. There wasn't anyone out there, much to his relief. He found that there were a bunch of sports mats piled on top of one another, which he sat down and buried his face into his hand, letting it slide upward until he was gripping his hair.

His breathing hitched a little from the frustration swelling up inside of him before drew a knee close to his chest laying his forehead against it. He had never felt so frustrated and humiliated in his entire life like he did now. His hand shaking just a little from the anger and pain, he just shook his head as tears welled up in his eyes. "Mom, dad....." He ground out between his teeth before closing his eyes tightly, not caring that tears squeezed out and began rolling down his cheeks. "I hate this. I hate being here. Why did I have to come here?" He whispered before looking up at the sky.

After school, Rex had to catch the bus with Terra to get home, due to the fact that Jeffery said that he couldn't pick them up. He hated that too. People stared at him as he went to the back of the bus and plopped down by himself. He was only too glad that no one bothered to ask to sit with him. He could feel them staring at him though and it just made him feel worst.

"Rex, come into the kitchen for a moment." Jan called as soon as he got back to the house and started up to his so called room. He had wanted to avoid any conversation with anyone, knowing that his aunt and uncle would probably just ask how his day was. But either way, his aunt went a calling and he didn't want to be rude so he went back down the stairs and found her kneading dough on the counter. She didn't' even look up at him as she kept rolling and folding the dough over and over again into flour. "I just heard that you ditched the rest of your gym class today."

Rex tore his eyes away from his aunt, almost impatiently but felt just a little guilt for it too. He felt like he didn't want to disappoint her but he was doing it anyway. "Yeah." He murmured keeping his eyes away from her.

Jan stopped kneading the dough and lift her eyes towards him, watching him carefully. She continued to stare at him until he finally lift his eyes and met hers before she began brushing her hands off, freeing them of flour before going to the sink and washing them. Once her hands were clean, she went over to Rex and placed her hand onto her waist, shaking her head at him. "Care to explain?" She simply asked.

Again, Rex looked away, though it didn't help because his aunt reached over and lightly grabbed his chin. Without even an effort, she turned his face back towards her, giving him a gentle look. He still dropped his eyes, not wanting to look into hers.

With a light sigh, Jan released his chin and dropped her hand to her side. "Rex, I know it's very hard for you to start at a new school, more or less, go to school when you've been taught by your ma and pa all your life. But you cannot skip classes. The rules are so much different than they are when your parents are making......."

"They wouldn't stop staring, Aunt Jan." Rex said a little roughly now looking her into the eyes. "They wouldn't stop staring and whispering and....." His tone just got rougher and full of emotion so he just stopped talking, gritting his teeth and closing his eyes to keep himself from exploding. Taking a deep breath and letting it out unsteadily, he started to turn away but stopped, remembering how rude it was to just leave when someone was talking to him. "I hate it, Aunt Jan." He hissed between his teeth.

Letting loose another soft sigh, Jan reached over and pulled Rex into a gentle embrace before shaking her head. "I'll talk to your uncle, Rex, and keep him from getting mad at ya. But don't do it again. Ignore every single one of those pinheads. Do not ever let them get to you." She told him softly before lightly patting his head. "Get up stairs and do your homework. Then you can help me make some cinnamon apple pie to cool your uncle's hide when he finds out that you ditched."

Not feeling an inch happier, Rex did what he was told. He didn't want to know what kind of trouble he might be in for ditching class.

Luckily for him, he wasn't in too much trouble.

At dinner, Rex had expected his uncle to just start lecturing him out of nowhere. He had been expecting him to yell at him for sluffing class and right in front of his cousins. But to his surprise, Jeffery stayed quiet during dinner, not saying a word. He didn't even look at him. He just ate his supper in silence, ignoring the fact that Terra was glancing at Rex with a somewhat sly look in her eyes. She actually was looking forward to seeing him get in trouble by her father.

It was enough to make Rex grit his teeth as he continued to eat. He knew very well that he wouldn't be able to excuse himself from dinner, even though he wasn't entirely hungry. He already could tell that he would be refused when he glanced up at his aunt and started to open his mouth to ask. But Jan caught his eyes with her own and shook her head quickly before returning to her own meal.

However, after the food was cleared away and everyone started getting up from the table, Jeffery looked up at Rex, pinning him with his gaze. Terra and Derrick even paused to watch a little as they rinsed their plates off in the sink. They were both being just a little too nosy for Rex's liking.

"Rex, your aunt told me what happened today." Jeffery said, his voice a little low before he folded his hands together in front of him and let his chin rest on his fingers. "I don't want to hear that you've ever ditched class again. I don't care what your reason is. It will not be tolerated in my house, boy." He told his nephew, who looked away for only a second before looking back, very forlorn. Together, Jeffery and Rex had a little bit of a staring contest. "Rex, like it or not, people are going to stare at your arm no matter how you feel about it. Most people do that to any one whose lost a limb or if they're blind or have any kind of disability. People are rude that way. You are not the only person that people stare at. You better get over it. Now get up stairs and get some shut eye."

With a silent, irritated sigh, Rex turned and started towards the stairs, knowing that his cousins were probably snickering silently to their selves because of the minor lecture. His suspicions were confirmed true a few seconds later as he went to the foot of the stairs.

"What are you two laughing at? Keep it up and I'll make you get up an hour earlier than usual to do your morning chores." Jeffery sharply said to both of his kids. They obviously stopped because it was Jan's turn to start laughing as she began cleaning up the kitchen. She didn't get into trouble though, obviously. But it couldn't be helped when Rex smirked to himself as he climbed the stairs. 'Serves them right.' was all he could think about his cousins.

For the next few days, it was pretty much the same thing all over again. Rex got up and got ready for his new day at school, he caught a ride with the bus with Terra, which he quickly found that he didn't like. He would always sit in the far back all by himself and watch as other kids climbed on. No one would sit with him. But they did stare at him, not caring that it was making him uncomfortable. Of course, it didn't always help that a big porker looking kid would always sit in front of him and fart all the way to school. He even laughed about it with his friends while Rex had to cover his lower face with his jacket so he didn't have to smell the big kid. Worst things worst, he couldn't even open the window because it was one those that you needed two hands to do it. That just made him feel worst.

At school, it was the same too. Rex would arrive and would have to push his way through the halls, wincing only a little when someone accidently bumped his left side and hit his left stump. It was still healing so it hurt a lot. Even so, the kids who bumped into him were probably doing on purpose just so that they could touch his left stump, just to see how it felt. He would see the one whoever did it rush up to their friends and talk excitedly that they got to feel the new kid's stump.

Rex only became a little more sour at school. Once again, he repeated, he was just a one armed freak show for people to gawk at or try to poke at. And it didn't help at all that every one of the kids were so intimidated by his lost left arm that they didn't want to talk to him. The only time someone ever talked to him, it was a rude question.

"Hey, Stumpy!"

Rex's eye started to twitch a little as he turned to see who just called him that in the cafeteria during lunch. It was worst when people started going quiet just to listen in. It was the boy called, Billy Montgomery, who was a rather big boy and played on the Junior class Football team and he happened to be Coach Montgomery's son.

Billy Montgomery grinned as he sat at his table with his friends and even Terra and Sally, who was not smiling like everyone else. Rex had learned that she was going out with Billy, though he questioned if he was forcing her or something because she didn't always look happy to be around him. He was a pretty over possessive of her whenever Rex watched them. The huge kid was always snapping at guys when they tried to talk to Sally May, and always touching her. Even if it was just an arm around her shoulders or holding her hand, he was always touching her. It was like an addiction of his to do so. There was never a time that Rex seen them together that Billy wasn't touching Sally. As of now, he had a hand resting on her arm, gripping her wrist as she talked to Terra, which she shut up when her boyfriend called over to Rex. She didn't look happy even if Terra was smirking to herself.

"Stumpy! Come 'ere!" Billy Montgomery called again, waving Rex over.

Eyeing him warily, Rex changed his course of going to the far table in the corner and went to the Junior football table instead; even though Rex, Terra and even Sally were just Sophomores. He glanced at Sally who was looking at him, almost as uneasily as he felt before looking back at Billy. "What?" Rex finally asked.

Billy only grinned at him before swinging an arm around his girlfriend's shoulder and pulled her against him. "So, I heard this something about you and I wanted to know if it was true or not." He stated, stopping right there and waiting for Rex to say something.

There was a long pause as Rex giggled his head a little as if asking what Billy wanted to know but when the Junior didn't say anything he rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Okay. What did you hear?" He asked, impatiently.

The Football player only grinned a leery grin at him before dipping his head down a little low, yet looked rather dangerous at the same time. "I heard your mom was a strip dancer to pay the income. Was that what she was? A singing and dancing stripper? How do you think she feels about having a kid with one arm? Do you think she's ashamed or proud? Do you think she's.......?" He was asking.

"Shut," Rex began, his eyes stone cold and his jaw clenched tight. His words, however, made a lot of people go very quiet and watch him with surprise. "The fuck up and don't you dare talk about my mom like that. My mom was not a stripper! She was in Broadway!"

No one spoke as they just stared at Rex almost stunned that he would even swear at Billy like that. Even Terra was eyeing him with shock that he would say something like that. She couldn't believe that he would use language like that. Billy snorted for a moment before merely shrugging it off. "Hey, hey. I was just asking. You don't need to be sprouting the F-bomb, Stumpy. I only heard that your mother was a strip teaser. She sang and dance on the stage while showing a bit of skin to impress men like some cheap.......what the hell?!" He exclaimed when Rex finally flipped out and flung his lunch tray at him.

Rex really didn't mean to lose his temper like that. But it really couldn't be helped. This big ape was talking crap about his mother and he would not have it. He would not let anyone insult his mother like that. So he threw his lunch tray at Billy. He didn't mean to hit Sally either but he was just so pissed off right now. His father's temper had become his own and he just lost it.

"Don't fucking talk about my mother like that, you stupid hill billy! My mother was not a fucking stripper! And don't call me Stumpy! My name is Rex!" Rex snapped, catching everyone's attention in the room.

Just as angry, Billy quickly stood, letting the spaghetti noodles and red sauce slide down his shirt before he was rushing around the table, pulling back a fist to swing at Rex. He didn't care if this kid had one arm. No one threw food at him and got away with it. But before he could even hit Rex, teachers quickly intervened. They rushed forward and got between the boys, grabbing them around the chest or their arms, pulling them back away from each other while yelling for the principal.

Jeffery Rory was not happy when he was called to the school.

Stone faced and glaring at his nephew, Jeffery listened to the teachers as they explained what happened. He didn't seem to be hearing the fact that Billy Montgomery had insulted Rex's mother by calling her a strip teasing whore. He mostly just heard that Rex was swearing with the f-word and starting a fight with one of the school's best football players. And as it was, Coach Montgomery wasn't happy that Rex had spoiled his son's football jersey, which he had been wearing at the time. Apparently, it was now going to be stained red with spaghetti sauce, though Billy was joking with his friends about how he could pretend it was blood from football games and maybe they could scare the other teams into thinking that he was the roughest player out on the field.

Either way, Rex was the one who mostly got into trouble for starting the fight. No one stood up for him. Not even Terra when Jeffery asked for her story. She simply told him that Rex started saying the f-word at Billy and he threw food at him and Sally May. Jeffery just glared at Rex, who was glaring towards Terra and Billy.

By the time they got back to the Rory house, Rex was getting close to snapping back at his uncle for yelling at him. He was grounded, according to his uncle and now he would have to help out with the chores as punishment.

More or less, when they did get to the house, Jeffery got out and grabbed Rex by the arm, ignoring the fact that he was trying to yank away. He ignored the fact that Jan was watching them with wide eyes as her husband dragged their nephew into the house before she quickly followed after. "Rex, using the f-word is not tolerated in my house! I do not want to hear you ever saying it again, do you understand me?!" Jeffery yelled as he dragged Rex right into the bathroom.

"What the hell does it matter to you?! You are not my dad! You didn't even listen to my side of the story!" Rex yelled right back, trying to pull away from his uncle. But it was no use. Jeffery was much stronger than him and he had a pretty tight grip on his arm. "Let go of me! What are you......?!" He was demanding him.

But before he knew it, a bar of soap was shoved into his mouth.

Immediately, Rex spat it out, choking and hacking on the nasty taste. "What the hell *cough!* was that for......?!" He started yelling but he was shoved against the wall and Jeffery was scooping up the bar of soap again.

"If you want to continue swearing, Rex, you will be punished! Every time a vile word comes out of your mouth and I hear about it, you will wash your mouth out with soap! I told you! I won't tolerate that kind of language in my house!" Jeffery yelled at him, holding it up. "Now, you put this into your mouth and you keep it in for five minutes or so help me, Rex Rory!"

For a very long time, Rex glared at Jeffery, who glared right back. He couldn't believe his uncle was being serious about that. He was actually going to make him put soap into his mouth! That was like trying to poison him!

"Do it or you will go to bed without supper! And then you will get up at Four in the morning and help me check the hay and cotton fields! And then you will feed the cluckers (chickens) and gobblers (turkeys) and then the horses! By. Your. Self!" Jeffery snapped again, shoving the bar of soap into his hand.

Making a disgusted face and glaring at his uncle, Rex snatched the bar of soap and shoved it into his mouth, trying not to gag. He hated this. He hated his uncle and his cousin, Terra. He hated living there. He hated that damn bar of soap in his mouth! He hated his new school and the people there! He hated Alabama! If it had rules like 'no-swearing-or-a-bar-of-soap-will-be-put-into-your-filthy-mouth', Rex didn't want to live there.

And every time he swore, even by accident, that godforsaken bar of soap got shoved into his mouth.

Things got worst at school. Because of the fight with Billy Montgomery, Rex was now being completely avoided. Other students ignored him completely and pretended that he didn't even exist. And those that did, they just gave him dark looks or shook their heads. He had become the 'Bad Boy' of the school.

Rex, however, didn't care.


	4. Chapter 4 Strange Events

**Title: **Big Bad and Red

**Genre: **Action/Drama/Friendship

**Rating: **T for some strong language, some violence, mild adult content, some crude humor.

**Summary: **Sixteen year old, city slicking orphan child, Rex Rory lives in Alabama and he has only one arm. What else can go wrong? Oh.....yeah. He just met a huge alien robot that turns into a big, temperamental, red Mack semi truck.

* * *

**~Chapter Four~**

_Strange Events_

* * *

Six months had passed and Rex was still being treated like the Devil's child.

People avoided him as much as possible and when they didn't, they were lecturing him about how he needed to start behaving like a good boy, minding his aunt and uncle, doing good in school, making new friends, and all of the other stuff.

However, Rex didn't listen to them. He just was his usual brooding, dark clothes wearing self. He couldn't make friends even if he wanted to. No one at the school would mingle with him and if they did it was because they were forced to by the teachers. No one wanted anything to do with the city slicking orphan punk kid. Even when he finally turned sixteen, no one really wished him a happy birthday. Everyone pretty much just said, "Oh, you've turned Sixteen. No big deal. Everyone turns Sixteen once in their life."

The only person whoever acknowledged and respected Rex was his Aunt Jan. Even if she did scold him a little for his swearing, she treated him kindly and she was the only one who actually celebrated with him on his Sixteenth birthday. She had made a cake for him and even had him blow out the candles, while everyone else was off doing their chores or harvesting the hay and cotton for the coming fall season. School had started up again from the summer break, though Rex really hadn't done anything but keep practicing his right hand writing or helping his aunt with the chores.

Even with the new school year, the other students ignored him and it suited him just fine. Rex wanted to be left alone anyway. His aunt and even that black cat, Black Jack, were the only ones who got along with him.

It wasn't easy for him though. They still stared or whispered about him and his lost arm when he wasn't looking. And as it was, Billy Montgomery was making his life in his Sophomore year a living hell. He made it a point to bump into Rex hard every day, hard enough to make him stagger and hit the wall. The problem was, no one stood up for him for three different reasons. One, most of the student body was friends with Billy Montgomery. Two, the others were terrified of him and the rest of the football team, knowing if they did anything that Billy didn't like they would beat them up. And three, no one really liked Rex Rory. He was the black sheep of the entire flock.

Rex's life was not going so well at all. He was picked on at school; he was picked on at his relatives' home. He felt very unwanted by everyone in Brewton. He really didn't know what he was going to do with himself. He didn't even know what he could do once he graduated from High School.

What kind of career could he do with one arm?

As the year went on, Rex spent most of his time alone or with Black Jack, who found that he liked the outcast of a teenager. He would only let him pet him and he even slept by his window at night. The black cat never went inside to sleep on Rex's bed, no matter how much he tried to coax him inside.

Then something started to catch Rex's eyes. It was never in Alabama. It was always in Social Studies. The teacher in that class always asked the students to bring in interesting newspaper articles, which they would discuss about them just as class started. He even made them read the articles in front of the entire class. Rex never got any interesting articles or even long ones because he hated it when every eye was turned onto him. So his grades weren't too great and he eventually got lectured by Uncle Jeffery for it.

But seriously, Rex didn't care anymore.

However, the point was, Sally May brought in a very interesting news article that caught even Rex's attention when she started talking about it. Apparently she had gotten it off the internet, which wasn't exactly allowed because the internet wasn't always too reliable. But the teacher let it pass because he found it very interesting too.

The story was about something that happened in California. Apparently, some kind of freak accident happened and nearly thirty construction workers were killed in it. But what was bizarre about it was just after a very short earthquake that even baffled a few Geologists; no one heard the explosion that the media claimed to be the source. There was only one witness to the entire thing and the media really couldn't get to him. But from they gathered, he was a witness because heard the screams of the construction workers and he claimed that he saw something. The police who questioned him pretty much called him a crazy drunk after whatever he told them and stated that it was unreliable to whatever he said. But other than that, no one really knew what it was that he had seen because he eventually shut up and said that he had been drunk that night.

And according to Sally, she had read some comments on that news article on the internet and said that there had been a few rumors going around saying that he had been lying. She even stated that one internet commenter said that he had talked to the witness and said that the witness was being paid by the Government to keep his mouth shut on the entire thing.

That had the entire class going on excitedly and eventually a debate started up. A lot of them agreed that the Government did things like that. Rex silently agreed because he remembered his father saying something like that. The only question he wanted answered was, what was it that the witness saw that made him go a little crazy?

Either way, that whole incident had Rex's interest so he began going to the library a lot to use their computers. It wasn't easy for him to type anything with one hand, so he was pretty much just doing the whole one finger tap on the keyboard as he researched on stories like that.

And there were others just like it.

Rex found a story on a forum board that dealt with what happened in Mission City, Nevada almost a year ago. He just barely had time to read some of it before it was suddenly deleted by a webmaster and the person who posted it got banned from doing it. From what Rex had read, it stated that the person who posted it had been in Mission City and claimed that it wasn't just a terrorist attack in the Nevada City. He claimed that the terrorists weren't just any people blowing up and destroying the buildings. They were something else. But that was all that he got to read before it was taken off.

Still, Rex was very interested and he wanted to find out what it had been that the Californian witness had seen and what had happened in Mission City. So he continued to research strange news like that, looking for anything that might enlighten him. He kept coming up short though.

In Social Studies, it was not just Sally May's news article that caught his attention. There a few others that came in right after hers. So it was obvious that Rex was not the only one interested in what was going on in the Western states.

The black boy who had tried to stand up for Rex on his first day, Markle Trythall had even brought in another article that was somewhat similar to Sally's. He had brought in article from The Sun newspaper stating that guy in Nevada claimed that the Government was covering up a huge conspiracy about aliens. Everyone knew that The Sun newspaper articles were fake, but they were still very interesting. Rex, however, was interested on reading the article and asked Markle if he could borrow it to read it. Markle was one of the few who didn't treat him like crap so he didn't mind, even if a few others gave Rex a look for even talking to him.

As for the Sun newspaper article, Rex read it silently while the teacher went on with class, talking about what was going on in the world. He couldn't help but nearly hold his breath as he read all of it.

**Government Conspiracy!!! Giant Intergalatical Aliens from Outer Space!!**

Rex paused to roll his eyes at the title. Some people in The Sun came up with the dumbest titles for articles. But he read on. There wasn't really much to read though, due to it being a little short. But as far as he could see, the interviewer had spoken to a person who claimed that the Government was covering up for aliens that were on Earth. He said that they had come just shortly before the Mission City incident and had pointed out that there had been some kind of an alien attack in Afghanistan, on a US military base that started it all, which lead the deaths of the entire base, except for a few US soldiers. The names were unknown due to the interviewee didn't know them. All he knew and told the interviewer was that he had seen one of the aliens and claimed that it was some kind of alien robot.

Again, Rex rolled his eyes at the thought that an alien robot was the cause of all that trouble. He could only picture an alien robot just like the one from The Day Earth Stood Still. It couldn't even be possible that a giant alien robot came to Earth and the Government could cover up all of the mess that it had caused. He didn't believe it.

Still, it was something Rex wanted to look into. He began researching it on the internet and eventually found that there was news about an attack Qatar, Iraq on a US Air strike base. There wasn't much on it because a huge chunk of the news report was missing. So Rex couldn't really tell who had been responsible for the attack on that base.

Eventually the other students began noticing that Rex had been looking into all of the stories and they began making fun of him for it. They kept asking him if he was going to be a newspaper writer when he grows up and they even teased him about how he was going to type all of his stories with one hand. Rex wanted nothing more than to throw something at anyone who said something like that. He really hated the quirks and remarks about him being one armed, which was always something that the other students poked fun about when it came to him.

However, the whole big news thing about all of the un-confirmed and unfinished news kept getting back to Rex as he kept looking it up. He kept finding stories on the internet or in the news archives that were missing things in the stories that couldn't give him a clear picture of what was going on.

But one day, someone got a hold of him with something big that perked up Rex's attention even further to wanting to investigate the unsolved mysteries in the newspapers. And it happened while he was in Study Hall, doing research on his World History assignment.

Rex was getting aggravated because he still had to type with nearly one finger and he could hear people making fun of him for it. He had glanced over at a bunch of students on the other side of the room, who were laughing and imitating him as he typed with one hand. He was getting pissed off again but all he could was TRY to ignore them and stab the keyboard with his finger. The advisor in the Study Hall class room eventually walked over and warned him if he kept it up, he wasn't going to be allowed to use the computers again.

And that's when an Instant Message popped up.

Frowning, Rex opened up the message and frowned in bewilderment at the message. It was from someone he didn't even know, other than seeing his screen name on a few news forums that dealt with what he was looking for. This guy was one of those who posted up news about the Mission City and California mystery accident before it was taken off by a webmaster.

His name was masterspitzy_spitz and in Rex's opinion, he was really weird.

**masterspitzy_spitz: Hey there! Been seeing ya around on the forums, looking at all of the news articles dealing with the aliens. You interested? **

Biting his lip, Rex could only think about that. He wasn't sure if he should even talk to this weirdo, especially during class. If he got caught chatting online, he'd be in deep trouble. Then again, he was looking for some answers that dealt with all of the strange news. So he typed the three letters.

_t_rex: yes. _

The reply from the weird guy took only a minute to come back and it wasn't exactly what Rex had expected.

**masterspitzy_spitz: Quick, take a quick look at this before they tackle us!**

Rex only frowned at the message before he saw a link connected to the message. Curiously, he clicked on the link. It was some kind of video feed and just by looking at the starting picture, it was in a city. It was kind of blurry, as if the person who recorded it was rushed. He could only wonder what was happening in the video.

So, to find out, Rex pushed play.

The first thing that hit Rex was the fact that there was screaming and explosions and it was enough to make him jump in his seat. He hadn't even realized that he hadn't turned down the sound. He knew for a fact that he wasn't the only one who heard the sound because quite a lot of people had started talking at once and just by glancing around, he saw they were looking around for where ever the sounds were coming from.

Quickly, Rex clicked on the sound control and muted it. He had to glance over his shoulder, seeing that the advisor was now looking around for whoever was responsible for it and he looked pretty pissed.

"All right! Whoever is screwing around, get off your computer right now!" He ordered, looking around the room. He hadn't spotted Rex yet but it was a matter of time before he did.

Looking back at his computer, Rex watched it carefully, noting that whoever recorded the video had been running from something. There were blurry explosions in front of the recorder, stating that some kind of war was going on before them. Rex could see people running in front of the camera, running from something behind them. He could almost hear their screams even though it was muted. They were terrified of something. Several of them dove to the ground just as something whizzed by over head, making Rex jump even a little as he watched wildly at whatever was going on. This was some pretty serious stuff and it looked like it was out of an action movie.

Still watching the video feed, Rex watched carefully as the camera holder dove to the ground, almost dropping the recorder before whirling it around to catch something. Rex frowned as he leaned closer to the computer, not believing his eyes. The imagery was still very blurry and rushed but there was something there or at least a few somethings. Something very big was blocking out the bright sun, which still caused a glare against the camera lens, making it very hard to see it. It looked like.......something that Rex couldn't even make out. It was moving quickly though, making it very hard for it to be see through the camera. In fact, it looked like it was thrashing around as there were explosions all around it. Rex could make out a few jets flying over head, shooting at it before he even seen something swing out from behind whatever it was. It was another big something but much smaller than the first. It looked like......a man or something. But it was too big to be a normal human being. It was punching at the larger being, ripping things off of it before shooting some kind of gun at it. And just as it was getting really good, the video feed suddenly began to have some kind of static attack, glitching quite a bit before it froze with lines right across the imagery.

Still, there was something there, past the static lines. The giant whatever had thrashed around violently, throwing whatever it was attacking it off. The attacker thing came crashing down on the streets right before the recorder, in a huge heap.

Rex froze at the image. It was very hard to see past all of the static lines but there was something very big, sitting in a huge crack in the road. And it looked like......it looked like it was made out of metal. It looked like it was a lime green color or something. And he could have sworn he saw a word written on what looked to be the leg. He could have sworn it was the word, Fire. Rex couldn't really tell too much because of the glare on the lens. It could have been......

Suddenly, the screen began to flicker violently, making Rex quickly scoot his chair back in alarm just as several pop up boxes began flashing up out of nowhere. Rex didn't know too much about computers other than how to type on them. But it looked like all of these pop up boxes were virus warnings. They just kept popping up out of nowhere. He could even see a quick instant message from the weirdo pop up off.

**masterspitzy_spitz: Quick! It's a spyderbot!! It's goi****FK'È)_:õK%ß)_„lÖà\ ¼!_ŒïU¨'‡_v¸7Š&j_ÙXÄô*, TURN OFF YOUR COMPUTER!! **

Frantically, Rex dove down towards the hard drive and stabbed the power button with his finger, holding it in as the computer continued to flicker violently and spark before the screen went black as it made a quick shut down. There was a strange smell coming from the hard drive box though. It smelt like something was burning or something and it made him grimace.

Especially when he heard someone clearing their throat from right behind him.

Tensing up, Rex slowly turned around in his chair and looked up at the advisor, who was folding his arms and tapping his foot as he glared at him. There was no doubt about it. He was in big trouble.

Rex could only slump in his chair, his right arm folded over his stomach as he silently watched his uncle talking to the principal about what had happened in Study Hall. And boy, did Jeffery look very angry as he kept glancing over at Rex. Being called to the school once again because Rex had gotten into trouble, Jeffery was starting to get fed up with it.

Apparently, whatever a spyderbot was, it destroyed the school computer's system, even after Rex had turned it off when the weirdo guy had told him to. And that pretty much just meant that he, Rex Rory, had just destroyed school property. He had tried to explain that he hadn't done it on purpose. He tried to tell the advisor and the principal that the video had been sent to him by some guy off the internet. But no one really listened. They just blamed him for their computer getting attacked by series of viruses and Trojans, destroying the hard drive system. And because it was school property, Rex was going to be punished severely even if it wasn't entirely his fault.

The punishment; he had been suspended from school for a week.

Yup. Rex was not very happy at all and neither was Jeffery.

The sudden stop of Uncle Jeffery's truck made Rex jerk forward and thankfully he was wearing his seat belt or else he would have hit the dashboard. He was still a little shaken up because of how pissed off his uncle looked. It was really un-nerving because he looked almost exactly like his father, Quinn had when he was very angry. Rex couldn't help but cringe a little when Jeffery shot him a look before slamming open his door and getting out.

"Get your butt upstairs and change into work clothes, boy! If you're not going to school, you are working!" Jeffery snapped before slamming his door shut.

Rex just sat there, quite shaken and feeling angry himself. He couldn't believe that he had been suspended just because of the weirdo guy had sent him some crack pot video feed. He could only think that it had been full of those spyderbot viruses or something. It was more than likely that the video was just something that was made to make gullible idiots like himself believe that it was true before it destroyed their computers. Rex had almost believed that what was on the video had been real. He had almost believed that whatever was recorded on that camcorder had been something really big and it had been fighting with something else, including Government air strike units. It was more than likely it was just some video clips from movies and he had fallen for it.

Slowly getting out of the truck, Rex paused for a moment when he heard shouts coming from the house. He could hear his uncle raving inside, probably to Aunt Jan, yelling about how he had to listen to the principal about their trouble making nephew destroying school property and now he had been suspended.

"The boy has no respect for anyone or anything, Jannett!!" Jeffery yelled from within the house. "He's so disrespectful to the rules and he just loves getting into trouble! He doesn't listen to me! He's destroying school property! He's nothing but a trouble making, spoiled brat! He has no discipline whatsoever! My worthless brother just let him get away with everything!"

"Jeffery, that's not true! You have to give him some time......" Aunt Jan was saying, though she was cut off.

"He's been living with us for nearly six to seven months, Jan! How much more time is he going to need?! He needs to stop throwing a god damned pity party and stop feeling sorry for himself! So his parents were killed and he lost an arm! It's time to move on, damn it!!" Jeffery exclaimed.

"I was trying to do my World History homework!" Rex suddenly shouted from the doorway as soon as he entered the kitchen where his aunt and uncle had been. By the looks of it, his aunt had been working on a sewing project before her husband came in, ranting and raving. But as soon as Rex had spoken up, they both turned towards him. And Jan actually looked worried for him. "It's not my fault, Uncle Jeff! I was trying to do my homework and some guy wanted to show me some video! I had been looking it up for Social Studies! I didn't know it was going to be laced with viruses!" Rex added, still glaring at his equally pissed off uncle.

Still giving his nephew a very hard look, Jeffery slammed a fist onto the counter, making Jan jump a little as she clasped her hands together, looking wide eyed between him and Rex. "You should know better than watching videos on the school computers, boy! I don't care what your reason was! The point is, I now have to pay for a damaged computer that you caused! And if I'm going to pay for it, then you have to do some serious work around the place! Now get upstairs!" He yelled at him.

Gritting his teeth, Rex shook his head as he balled up his fist tightly. "No! I'm not doing anything! It wasn't my fault that the computer was destroyed! I was just trying to do a Social Studies assignment! I shouldn't be punished for actually doing my homework!" He snapped right back.

"Don't you dare talk to me in that tone, boy! I won't tolerate it!" Jeffery warned him as he took a few steps towards his nephew.

"Stop calling me that!! My name is Rex!! I don't go calling you Jeffery the Jackass like my worthless father did! Of course, you don't really care about my dad! You don't care that he's dead! You never did! He was your own brother and you hated him! Just like how you hate me! And now you're so pissed off because you have to take care of me! Me, the worthless, one armed freak! My dad was right about you! You are a jackass!" Rex yelled again.

SLAP!!

A sharp pain struck across Rex's cheek, sending his head snapping to the side and himself to be thrown off balance against the kitchen counter. It only took him a few seconds to realize that he had just been backhanded by his uncle. He staggered back a little before looking wildly up at his uncle, who looked just a little surprised as he had but still looked very angry. His aunt had gasped sharply and slapped a hand over her mouth as she watched the interaction between her nephew and husband but she didn't move to interfere at all.

Jeffery, still glaring hard at Rex, lowered his raised hand to his side and shook his head. "Don't ever talk to me like that again, Rex. I will not tolerate......!" He was saying.

Rex harshly laughed as he reached up and touched his burning cheek before he shook his head vigorously. "What will you tolerate, Uncle Jackass?! You don't tolerate anything! You won't even listen to MY side of the story!" He yelled at the top of his lungs before dropping his book bag heavily to the ground then proceeded to running as fast as he could out of the house, slamming the door open. Ignoring his aunt and uncle yelling after him, Rex was out of the house and running across the front lawn as fast as his feet would take him. He zoomed right past Derrick as he pulled up in his police cruiser, surprising the hell out of him enough to serve right into the fence. He didn't stop though. He just kept running until he reached the road near the house before heading down it, still running.

Angry thoughts rushed through Rex's head as he kept his legs pumping. He didn't care where he was going as long as he got away from the house. He was just so angry at everything and everyone. People were always treating him poorly, he was always getting into trouble at school and it wasn't even entirely his fault!

How else was he suppose to know that "masterspitzy_spitz" would have sent him a virus or something?! Why did everyone had to treat him like crap?! It was just so aggravating!!

Finally, after running quite a while, Rex dove through some trees and right into a small woody area where he finally slowed down to a halt and hunkered down on a log. His breathing rapid, he just sat there, glaring at the woody floor, cursing everything. He hated all of this. He couldn't believe that he lost his temper like that, but more or less, that his uncle had smacked him. He had been mouthing off a little but it was all true to what he had said to Jeffery. His uncle didn't listen to him. If only he would listen to him, these things wouldn't happen. But he never did. He listened to everyone else but why not him?

His eyes stinging only a little, Rex reached up with his one hand and gripped his bangs tightly before bending over a little to rest his head against his knees. Why did things have to be so hard for him to adjust to? He wasn't used to all of the rules and the school or trying to make friends because with his parents alive, it had been so much easier for him. Why couldn't it be now?

Rex lost track of time as he just sat there, his head laying against his knees and all of the thoughts running through his mind. He was trying to figure out what to do to solve the problem. But the thing was, he didn't really know what the problem was. He didn't know what the problem was that he was suppose to figure out. He didn't know what he could do about school and everyone there. He didn't know what to do about his uncle or his cousins. He didn't know what to do about the news mysteries he was trying to figure out. He also thought a little about the video that "masterspitzy_spitz" had sent him and what was on it. He wondered exactly how the weird guy had made a video like that and made it look so real.

He tried to recall the strange figures. They were so big that they had to be computer graphic images or something. They couldn't be anything real. They had almost looked....he didn't know what to think of them. They had almost looked like they were robots or something.

'That's absurd. There's no such thing as aliens anyway. More or less, if there were, they weren't giant alien robots. That's just so stupid.' Rex thought to himself as he just remained sitting there.

A hoot of an owl was what made Rex's head jerk upward and look around. He was almost surprised to see that it was starting to get dark. He had been sitting there, so lost in his own thoughts to realize that he had been there for several hours now. He hadn't even noticed that the sun had started to go down. There was barely any light left.

With a heaving sigh, Rex stood up and looked around, trying to figure out what direction he had come from. It was time for him to head back to his uncle's. He knew for a fact that his uncle and aunt was probably just waiting by the door, waiting to pounce on him to give him a lecture of a life time. It was almost too depressing to even think about. He had only known them for nearly seven months now and they already hated him. Well, at least his uncle did. He wasn't so sure about Aunt Jan. She was the only kind person to him. He didn't even care too much about his cousins. So far, since he even got there, they've been the very first people to treat him like crap.

It took a fair few minutes to find the road he had come down on but Rex was on his way back to the house he was forced to call home. He couldn't even see the house on the horizon. He wondered exactly how far he had run from the house.

Walking in the darkness was pretty creepy though, Rex realized. He jumped a few times when he heard a twig snap or the hoot of another owl. There were dark clouds in the sky, so there wasn't very much light. He could barely see the moon shining behind the dark fluffs and it so did not help when he heard the distant rumbles of thunder and saw flashes of lightening. He groaned to think that it was going to start raining while he was out there. So he began to jog, hoping to get home faster.

It was about ten minutes of jogging did Rex realize something that made him want to go up to a tree and slam his head against it. He had been going the wrong way, moving further away from his aunt and uncle's house. So with another deep sigh, Rex turned around and started to jog back the way he had come. Cursing every inch of his life, Rex was starting to feel very sour again. He couldn't believe how bad his luck was, nor how terrible his life had turned. He had gone from a very happy teenager, living with his loving parents, having a great life in New York City to living in Hicksville, his loving parents dead, his left arm gone, and now his only relatives he knew about right at the moment didn't like him.

How much worst could it get?

Suddenly, there was a loud crack in the sky, making Rex jump and stop dead in his tracks as he looked up wild eyed as he saw flashes of lightning. At least, it looked like lightning. The sky was flashing a little and he could hear a loud rumble as if there was a plane in the sky going over head. But something didn't sound right. There was a loud boom that kind of reminded Rex of a sonic boom he had heard from a movie, followed by strange but very loud metallic pings like sonar reading before there was another loud crack.

Rex's eyes couldn't have gone any more wider when he saw another bright flash in the sky, only this time, it was growing brighter. It was a brilliant fiery red, as if........as if there was plane coming down in a fiery ball of metal!

The only thought running through his mind was if a plane had been struck by lightning and it was now coming down. He could only imagine what kind of plane it might be because of the size of the ball of flames that came streaming down through the clouds right over Rex's head. He couldn't believe his eyes. He could actually see the crash! He couldn't see the plane through the fire but it was coming down very fast.

His heart pumping hard in his chest, Rex began to run after the fiery ball as it came crashing down somewhere in the woods what seemed to be at least a mile away from where he was. He just had to see this! There was a chance that he would find it and then maybe there would be survivors and he could save their lives by calling for help! A strike of excitement swelled up inside of Rex as he began running into the trees, pushing past bushes as fast as he could. If he could do all of that, then maybe the people of Brewton would actually see him as a hero and not a freak with one arm! He would have saved a bunch of peoples' lives with one arm! It was enough to make him smile brightly as he picked up his speed, shoving past branches ignoring the sharp whips against his skin as some struck him. He could only think of getting to the plane crash before anyone else did.

It took about five minutes at the speed he was running, but Rex finally saw the glowing flames through the darkness. They were starting to die down, which was strange enough but he was still excited about the thought he could be called a one armed hero in Brewton. Maybe he would finally get the respect he demanded and deserved.........

Rex came to a quick halt as his smile suddenly vanished from surprise.

There was a huge crater in the center of the woods, flames littered across the ground and on a few trees but they were starting to diminish. But it was what was in the crater that made Rex freeze in his tracks and stare. It didn't look like any plane he had ever seen. It looked like......a big, metallic something. Some kind of space pod or something.

"What the hell.......?" Rex murmured as he slowly moved closer to the lip of the crater and looked closer at the metallic pod. "What is that? Something from a satellite or.....?"

There was a loud metallic click from the pod, making Rex jump and quickly take several steps back as he watched in surprise. The metal thing was starting to move. Strands of metal and gears were revolving around the pod, shifting as if it was starting to open up. It was enough to make Rex turn quickly and run back towards the shelter of the trees, diving behind one and look around it to watch as the pod kept on shifting and moving within the crater. He just couldn't believe his eyes as he watched this thing move. The metal pod kept shifting and rotating before it began to form into something.

And it took only a few minutes before that metal whatever began to push itself up, causing Rex to catch his breath as he watched in shock as strange metallic being actually stood up. It didn't take a genius to realize that it was some kind of metal......some kind of metal......man.

It was, Rex realized in shock, a giant robot.

The giant robot was a huge mass of metal and very wide in the shoulders, not to mention, very tall. It could have at least reached the height of 30 feet and was about ten feet wide, shoulder to shoulder. It was really bulky too, as if it would have been human, it would have been a very big human. It was mostly just dark silver metal but Rex could have sworn that it looked almost......dark rusty red.

A flash of brilliant blue light was what caught Rex's attention to tilting his head back far just to look up at its face. He froze when he saw its eyes. They were a bright, glowing blue color that shone almost like blue flames.

Still, Rex couldn't believe what he was even seeing. He was actually looking at a giant robot that had just fallen right out of the sky. The thought had caught sharply in his mind as he realized......"masterspitzy_spitz" had been right. That article in The Sun had been right! There were giant alien robots on Earth! Those things he had seen on "masterspitzy_spitz's" video had to have been alien robots. He just could not believe this. Did the Government really know about these.......?

A twig snapped loudly under Rex's foot, making him gasp sharply before slamming his back against the tree and covering his mouth to keep himself quiet. He heard a metal groan and had barely seen the giant robot swirl around, looking around for the source of the noise. He could hear metal grinding against metal as it moved, probably looking for him. He just hoped that it couldn't hear his pounding heart because he sure could. Rex was fighting himself to not breathing so hard or so loud, but it was very difficult. He still could hear the giant alien robot moving around, taking earth shaking steps as it stepped out of the large hole it had caused by its landing.

The ground rumbled under its feet and Rex could feel the shakes as it took a few steps. He looked up, noticing that it was merely standing over him, towering as tall as the trees around it. It was looking around still but it didn't seem to have noticed Rex at all.

After a moment of just looking around, there was another crack and the groan of wood, causing the robot to spin away from Rex's hiding spot only to watch as a broken tree fell over. It stared at the tree for a moment before it actually grunted and relaxed a little. Metallic clicks and loud pings began to echo in the clearing and it took Rex a minute to realize that it might have been talking to itself. He turned slowly to look around the tree and watched the metal giant looking itself over almost grimacing at several bends and creases in its metal frame. It looked......kind of beat up. It actually looked as if it had gotten bashed pretty good from the hard landing it made in the middle of an Alabamian wood. It kind of looked like it had just gotten out of a battle too because it was more than bent out of shape. It was almost as if it crashed into something on the way in.

A disgusted metallic groan escaped from the metal giant as it ran its claw like fingers over the many dents in its frame before it threw its arms up in the air as if irritated. It almost made Rex want to laugh at the reaction. It seemed kind of frustrated and irritated as it continued to check itself over before it heaved a huge air vented sigh as it shook its large head.

After a moment, it decided to stop looking itself over and checking all of the damage that was made to it from its crash. It actually began looking around the trees, almost searching for something before it began walking carefully through them.

Curious about where it was going, Rex slowly began to follow, moving tree to tree and keeping an eye on the giant robot. He was still very surprised that he had even found this thing in the woods. After simply telling himself that giant alien robots, more or less, aliens didn't exist, he had just proven himself wrong! He just couldn't wait to tell his relatives about this! This was something so big! He had actually discovered an alien robotic race........his breath caught in his chest. No, he did not. Just remembering that video that the weirdo guy had sent him, he realized that people knew about these giant robots and the Government were actually covering it up. He just could not believe this. They were hiding something so big from the people of the United States. No! They were hiding these things from the world! It kind of infuriated Rex a little.

Deciding not to think too much on it, Rex pushed back his thoughts and kept following the giant robot through the trees, wondering where exactly it was going. It seemed to be searching for something. But what was it looking for?

The answer came shortly when it reached a road.

Rex frowned as he watched it stop just right at the edge of the trees, looking right to left, almost waiting for something. It wasn't moving to cross the road, just watching for something. It was long enough for Rex to have to sit down on a log and wait with it, still thinking about what he had just discovered. He still couldn't believe this. He wondered if he was asleep or something and dreaming all of this up.

All the while of waiting for whatever it was, he examined the giant alien robot. There wasn't much of what he could say about it. It was just really big and really wide. The color was almost rusty red and that was about it. The arms were kind of bulky, as if it had huge biceps or something. It was very strange.

A flash of lightning in the sky, however, made Rex grimace as he glanced upward at the sky. The clouds were getting darker and it looked like it was going to start raining soon. He saw the robot look up but it didn't look too worried. He could only wonder exactly what would happen if it got struck by lightning. Would it harm it or something? It wasn't exactly a lightning rod, that was for sure. No doubt a lightning bolt would be attracted to all of that metal.

Finally, something seemed to catch the robot's attention, making it straighten up and making Rex jump a little. He almost thought he had been seen by the giant alien but that wasn't it.

There were headlights coming down the dark road and for a moment, Rex felt fear rising out of him. He really hoped that this thing didn't intend to attack that semi truck that was coming down that road. He almost jumped to his feet and ran out to warn the truck driver before it sped by.

Nonetheless, a loud click made Rex's head jerk upward and his eyes couldn't have gone any wider as the giant robot began to shift and move like it had before. But this time, it wasn't growing upward. It was shrinking downward. It was changing and shifting into something. All Rex could do was watch it in awe and surprise as it continued to shift and move until it finally stopped, surprising him even more. Where the giant alien robot had been standing, there sat a very big, red semi truck. It looked exactly like the Mack that just drove by, except for a slight difference. Instead of the logo name; Mack, it said Mag.

Still, Rex was surprised by what he just seen. The giant alien robot had just turned into a truck! Right before his very eyes, it had transformed into a large, red, Mack semi truck! It was the perfect disguise, now that he thought about it! No person on Earth would even imagine that a car or a truck would be an alien. It now made him question, exactly how many were there in the world now?

**"I know you're there. I've picked up your signal gigaclicks ago, at the landing site." **A deep, metallic voice suddenly called out.

Every inch of Rex froze, including his heart as he jumped at the sound of the voice. He hadn't been expecting it at all. More or less, that voice had come directly from the large truck. It had actually talked as it rolled forward a little, turning in Rex's direction as if it was looking at his hiding spot. He could almost feel its eyes on the tree he was hiding behind.

Stiffening, Rex pushed himself away from the tree and the road where the truck was starting to pull up on. He felt terrified to know that the truck knew that he was there, more or less, it had talked to him. Now he just had to consider his options. He could step out and slowly approach the alien or he could just stay there until it got bored with him and went away. Tough choices.

"Ah, screw that!" Rex muttered before he turned and bolted as fast as he could back into the woods and away from alien robot. There was no way in hell he was going to approach that thing and then let it step on him or something!

Of course, as he ran away, hidden eyes watched the small form run away into the trees before the Mack truck began to chuckle. **"Heh, skittish humans are always amusing."** The Autobot muttered to himself before he turned and began driving down the Alabamian road.

Rex didn't' stop running until he actually got back to the road leading to his aunt and uncle's house. He didn't' even look over his shoulder to see if the alien robot was chasing him. He just ran as fast as he could away from that area, not wanting to see if the thing was some friendly giant or a human incinerating fiend. He didn't even realize it had started raining, as it was. It wasn't until he nearly got hit by a cop car did he stop running. It had been driving down the road, a spot light shining off into the fields all around it before the cop spotted Rex running down the road. It stopped really quickly before it could run him over and Derrick Rory got out, looking like he wanted to spew fire.

"Rex! Where in the hell bells have you been?! I've been out for hours lookin' for ya! Do you know how worried my ma is worried about you?! She actually thought you were lying face down in some ditch somewhere!" Derrick yelled as he glared at his cousin.

Ignoring his cousin's ranting, Rex hurried right up to him, almost wildly. "Derrick! I saw it! I saw it come down and then it stood up and then it......!! The crazy people who claimed that they were real weren't crazy! They saw them too! And.....and....it changed! It changed into a truck!" He said quickly, jabbing his one good hand back the way he came.

Derrick frowned in bewilderment before looking back down the road as he held up a hand to silence him. "What the hell bells are you talking about, Rex? What did you see?" He tried to ask.

Rex shook his head as he looked wildly up at him, waving a hand back down the road. "The meteor that just came down! It crashed down in the woods back there and then it turned into this....this big robot thing!! The big robot thing then transformed into this truck! It.....it.....!" He was saying a little too fast.

"Hey! Slow it down, Rex! I can't understand ya!" Derrick said loudly, waving his hands for Rex to slow down. "Now tell me again, what happened?"

A few moments later, Rex was sitting in the police cruiser with his cousin driving back to where he had come from. He had tried to explain to Derrick what he had seen but his cousin didn't understand a bit of it. So he decided to just show him the huge crater. As soon as they came back to the spot where Rex had emerged from the woods, the two of them began venturing off into the trees, flash light in hand and began searching for the huge hole where the alien robot had came down. Rex was still trying to tell Derrick about the alien, about how it transformed into a Mack truck, but the deputy didn't even understand a word of it.

After about ten minutes of searching, they found the crater. Rex was almost excited when he pointed at it. "See?! That's where it was! That's where the giant robot was!" He told him before pointing off into another direction. "And it went to the road in that direction."

Frowning, Derrick stared at the hole, studying it for a moment before looking around at the burnt trees all around it. He was quiet for a very long moment as he took in the entire area before heaving an impatient sigh and shook his head. He turned a dry look onto Rex, ignoring the light drizzle starting to soak his hair. "Rex, you are one big, dumb idiot, you know that." he ignored the look he got for that remark. "No meteor rock came down right here. It was a lightning strike."

Rex stared at him with bewilderment before shaking his head, almost angry that his cousin would say something like that. "No, it wasn't, Derrick! It was an alien robot! I saw it come down and I saw it get up and walk......!"

"That's enough, you idiot!" Derrick snapped, holding up a hand to shush him. "You are in so much trouble right now, and this whole publicity stunt will just get you into more trouble! There's no such as aliens, you dumbie! Now march your butt back to the car! We're going home! Pa is so angry at you right now for running off and scaring the daylights out of ma! Not to mention, you dent my car when you went running out of there like a hell bat! It's more 'n likely you're grounded!" He shook his head and jabbed a finger towards Rex when he tried to open his mouth and say something else. "Don't say a word, Rex! Just get back to the car! Now!"

With a frustrated and angry sigh, Rex whirled around and nearly stomped back through the trees. He knew what he had seen. He knew that there had been an alien robot! He had seen it! He had heard it speak! He wasn't crazy or making it all up just to get attention! If Derrick, a cop, wouldn't listen, maybe Uncle Jeffery and Aunt Jan would. He just had to make them understand, there was an alien robot driving around Brewton as a big, red Mack truck and who knew why it had even came there?


	5. Chapter 5 Cheated

**Title: **Big Bad and Red

**Genre: **Action/Drama/Friendship

**Rating: **T for some strong language, some violence, mild adult content, some crude humor.

**Summary: **Sixteen year old, city slicking orphan child, Rex Rory lives in Alabama and he has only one arm. What else can go wrong? Oh.....yeah. He just met a huge alien robot that turns into a big, temperamental, red Mack semi truck.

* * *

**~Chapter Five~**

_Cheated_

* * *

Rex should have guessed it from the very moment he had decided to tell his aunt and uncle about the giant alien robot that they would not even listen to him or even believe him when he actually told them about it.

The minute he had gotten back to the house with Derrick, both of them actually rounded on him and started lecturing him. Jeffery was angry that he had run off while he had been talking to him. Jan had been angry that he had been gone so long and it scared her to death of what might have happened to him. Rex would have been flattered if he wasn't so angry, trying to tell them about what he had seen. But neither one would listen to him. It just made him even more frustrated. He tried to tell them but they wouldn't hear anything of it.

One, because Rex was a little wet from being out the rain so Aunt Jan made a little bit of a fuss about how he might get sick.

And two, Derrick had been right. He was grounded.

So Rex never really got to tell his aunt and uncle about the alien robot that just fell out of the sky and was now waltzing around in Brewton as a Mack truck. And if they weren't going to listen to him, who else would?

It had been a very long week, that was for sure. Rex couldn't believe how long it had been and couldn't believe his uncle actually made him do a bunch of chores at nearly four thirty in the morning. More or less, a few of the chores he ended up doing was in need of two hands. His uncle was pretty harsh about the punishment that he had to go through. He was starting to get blisters on his hands from stabbing chunks of hay and giving it to the horses. And he surely developed a rich tan from being out in the sun.

Aunt Jan took pity on him a few times, arguing with her husband about taking it a little easy on Rex. The arguments got pretty bad though and it just made the young teen feel worst that he was actually causing problems between them. Terra made it very clear to him that before he had even came, her parents never fought.

"If they end up separating because of all of the fights they've been having," Terra warned Rex in a very dark tone. "It will be your fault. And if they separate, you better run for your miserable life. Because Derrick and I will beat the living shit out of you."

Rex had to bite his lip very hard, enough till it started to bleed to keep himself from snapping back at her.

As it was, it seemed that word got out about Rex's claim of finding an alien robot in the woods. Because when he went into town with Aunt Jan to run some errands, he caught sight of people starting to stare at him. They stared and whispered as he went by. He could barely hear some of the words and he knew very well that Derrick must have told some of his friends, other wise, half of the town wouldn't have known that Rex had seen an alien. Some people even laughed and it just infuriated him even more. He kept his mouth shut. He didn't have to explain to any of these people who just teased and whispered about him. He knew what he had seen. He knew what he had heard. There was no way that no one could tell him that he hadn't seen or heard what he had.

And to the matter of that, Rex had become just a little jumpy when it came to dealing with the color of red. Whenever he saw something red, he would quickly look over his shoulder to see if there was a large red Mack truck sitting there. There really never was. He never really saw the truck that the alien robot had taken the form in again.

Until the day he went back to school.

Rex couldn't even hide the sour look as he walked through the halls of the school, knowing fully well that people were staring at him or whispering about him. He could feel their eyes on him as he passed by them. They were talking to their friends about the very same thing that most of the town was talking about.

"Did you hear?" He heard someone whisper to another. "The Rory kid claimed that he saw an alien space ship come down last Wednesday."

"Yeah, I know. I think he's finally snapped."

All Rex could do was just ball up his one good fist tightly and bite his tongue from saying anything. He had already promised his uncle that he would not get into another fight at school. He figured it was just better to keep his mouth shut. It was like that all day long. Rex would walk into class and people would stare or start whispering about him. Even at lunch, people stared or whisper. All he could do was let them as he glared off at the ground, not even eating his lunch. He didn't have much of an appetite at all anyways.

"Hey, Stumpy!" He heard Billy Montgomery call, so with a groan, he looked over at the boy, who was on the other side of the street at a small diner with his friends. They obviously had been having their lunch there. "Is it true that you're turning into a crazed alien hunting fanatic? Did you really see an alien?"

Rex glared at him but didn't answer. He didn't want to give Montgomery the satisfaction that he was getting to him. He didn't have to explain himself if they weren't going to believe him. But he knew what he had seen and heard that night. He knew that there was some alien robot driving around as the big red Mack truck somewhere in.......

"Stumpy! Don't ignore me! I asked you a question!" Montgomery called over as he began crossing the street with his friends to goad Rex into another fight. "You better answer.......!"

BLARRREEE!!!!

Nearly every single student or even person in the general area jumped when a loud blow horn went off and brakes screeched as the vehicle came to a sudden stop. Several screams and shouts from Montgomery's group rose up quickly as they leapt backwards out of the street to avoid getting hit.

But more or less, the large truck stopped right on the street, being lucky enough that there hadn't been any one behind it. And it had been very lucky Montgomery and his cornball friends hadn't been run over for not looking before crossing the street. Rex was staring wide eyed at the road like everyone else, stunned of what he was seeing. He could not believe it. He had never seen a truck like that before other than seeing them on television and watching the truck rallies. He would have never guessed that in Hicksville he would actually get to see a real live Monster truck.

It was a big charcoal gray colored metal beast with the world NIGHT MARE scrolled across the side. A hellish looking horse was painted just across the hood with fiery red eyes and snorting fire from its nostrils. Its tires were huge, about four feet across and it was lifted to be rather high. It was nearly twelve feet high. It was big, bad beast, that was for sure.

The driver, who was a rough and muscular sort of man with an equally rough and muscular looking woman sitting next to him leaned out of the window and glared down at Montgomery. "Watch where you're going, dipshit! You wanna end up like your mother's cooking?! Roadkill?! Stupid kids!" He snarled before roaring on.

Rex would have laughed with a few others when they saw how red Montgomery's face had gone. But he didn't. The awe in his eyes from just seeing the Monster truck suddenly vanished when he saw a glimpse of red just down the street, sitting at the corner. His heart could have stopped when he saw that big, red Mack sitting there, looking ever so innocent for a big truck. There was no driver in the seat, that was for sure. It was just sitting there like an ordinary old truck.

But Rex knew better. He saw the word, Mag sitting right on the grill with a strange insignia that he could even make out right above it. He knew it was the alien robot.

His heart starting to pound, Rex scrambled to collect all of his things and shove them into his book bag. He could feel eyes on him but he wasn't about to make contact with those eyes. He just stood up and sped walked back towards the building, wanting to be as far away from that truck as possible.

And unknowingly to everyone else at the school, hidden eyes narrowed as they watched the small human scramble to go inside. He knew very well that the boy had seen and recognized him. **'Hmm. This may be harder than I thought.' **The alien robot thought to himself before glancing over at the other boys who nearly got ran over, narrowing his gaze even more. But he wasn't about to approach them either. It would have to be the one human that saw him the other night. **'This is going to take forever.'** He growled to himself, rather impatient. But he knew that the small boy that had seen him had to be his choice. The question was, how close could he get to him without frightening.

It was easy to say that Rex was very un-nerved the entire day after seeing that Mack hanging around the school. He knew very well that it had been the alien robot and it might have been waiting for him. He could have sworn he felt its eyes on him. He could only wonder what it would have been doing there. Why was it still hanging around boring old Brewton? Was it trying to tie up loose ends, say like, him for one before it took off? The very thought made him shudder. Was it going to hurt him for trying to tell other people about it? If so, why hadn't it done it already? Rex was very sure that if that was the case, it would have no problem doing it. But for now, he was just going to have to keep looking over his shoulder to make sure it wasn't there all of time.

The better part of his day, though, was that the truck was no where to be seen when school let out. People did notice that Rex was a little jumpy always looking over his shoulder but they didn't think anything of it. They only thought that he was looking for Montgomery, due to the fact that the jock was still very annoyed that he hadn't answered his taunting earlier.

Still, other than the Mack being on his mind, Rex was thinking about the Monster truck too. He couldn't stop thinking about it. What was a Monster truck doing in Brewton? So he couldn't help but ask later on.

"Hey, Uncle Jeffery?" Rex asked once he went out to help out with some of the chores. He ignored some of the looks he got from Derrick and Terra as they helped with the fields. His attention was only on his uncle. "Are there usually Monster trucks driving around here?"

Merely glancing at Rex, Jeffery kept at his work of plunking cotton and stuffing into large sacks. He had to frown for a moment as he thought about what Rex just said before shaking his head. "Monster trucks? Oh. Did you see one today?" He received a nod. "There's a truck rally going on this week. A bunch of 'em are driving in for it." He paused looking over at Derrick. "Actually, Derrick!"

Derrick looked up after stuffing his own bag full of cotton. "Yeah?"

"Don't you have tickets to that Monster truck rally tomorrow night?" Jeffery asked, straightening up.

For a minute, Derrick paused before his face lit up and he grinned at his father, nodding. "Yup! Me and some of the boys are going! Why? You wanna come, pa? We got an extra ticket?" He asked, almost hopefully not even thinking of how it might turn out.

Grimacing at the thought, Jeffery shook his head but looked over at Rex, who's face was starting to brighten up. He knew very well where this was heading and he was starting to feel a little excitement. "Oh, hell no. I don't want to be around those roaring contraptions." He paused again to look over at Rex, almost chuckling at the look on his face. "Why don't you take Rex here? He needs to get out anyway. Do something for once with other people besides that mangy cat." He told his son.

That was not what Derrick wanted to hear. His grin faded a little as he glanced over at Rex, who was looking right back at him, his own smile starting to fade. That was the last thing that Derrick even wanted to hear from his father. He wouldn't be caught dead taking his lame cousin out at a truck rally. "Aw, pa. Come on. It's gonna be fun. It's not so bad. Sure the trucks can be a little........" He had to stop when Jeffery gave him a stern look.

"I don't want to go to no Monster truck rally, Derrick. Just take Rex. He wants to go, don't ya?" Jeffery asked, looking at the spoken person.

Rex nodded his head rather vigorously. He would love to go. He had never been to one before and it would be neat to go to one. Even if it was with his cousin who didn't like him. Still, the look on Derrick's face clearly stated that he would rather eat cow dung than let Rex go.

Shrugging, Derrick turned back to continue stuffing his bag full of cotton. He didn't look too troubled. "Well, I would but.....if you weren't going to go, Paul Keeler said that he might get his......." He was saying. The look on Jeffery's face shut Derrick up. He did not look happy at all and it made even Rex feel just a little uneasy as he shuffled his feet a little, now taking a few steps back. Both, Jeffery and Derrick looked directly at each other, one looking stony and the other was starting to get a little uneasy. But after a minute, Derrick cleared his throat, his eyes dashing between his father and Rex before nodding. "Oh......okay. Hey, Rex. You want to go?" He asked finally.

It was Rex's turn to hesitate. Yes, he did want to go. But there was a dark look within his cousin's eyes that he did not like at all. "Um....n-no.....it's.....it's okay. If you have someone else......" He was saying.

"Rex, you can go. You need to get out and be around people anyway." Jeffery completely stated as he went back to work, not even sparing his son a glance. So he didn't even see the slight twitch on Derrick's face. "Derrick has no problem taking you. He WANTS to take you and he's offered, so be polite and say yes." There was a lot of warning behind his tone when he said that. And every person in the general area knew very well that it was pointed directly at his son.

Derrick paused for a moment as his forehead creased a little, stating that he wanted nothing more than to just glare at Rex but he quickly cleared it, forcing a smile as he nodded. "Yeah, come on, Rex. It's going to be a lot of fun." He told him.

Again, Rex hesitated. He still didn't like the look in his cousin's eye but because of that look, he forced himself to nod. "Okay. Sounds like......fun." He said, trying to force his own smile. But he failed. He wasn't even sure if this was a good idea any more. He wanted to go very badly because he wanted to see that huge charcoal Monster truck again. But he couldn't help to feel that, something was going to go wrong and he wasn't going to like it.

That night, there was another storm. It kept Rex up a little while, listening to the wind pounding the shutters against the outside walls. He got up a few times to look out but all it did was creep him out. It was so dark outside that it was so hard to see. He was sure that if he kept looking out, he might see a gremlin or something. That, or a big, red Mack truck. His aunt told him the storms were pushing up from the coast. They were kind of close to the ocean and that was where the strong winds were pushing up from. She even said it was kind of still hurricane season, which had Rex on edge a little he was sure if there was a hurricane, he would get to see it. He had seen what hurricanes do after seeing the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina a few years ago. His parents and the Broadway Company had donated a lot of money to help those people down there but he wasn't too sure if he wanted to actually be in one. It would be really cool to see it, but be in it? Uh-uh. Forget it.

A few flashes of lightening and loud rumbles of thunder kept Rex from sleeping most of the night, as well as the nightmares about seeing his parents being crushed under the metal beams. Those were dreams that visited often. He always thought about his parents and felt incredibly lonesome without them. He made a wish that they would come back, but he knew it was impossible.

Eventually, he faded off. But, as he dreamed about that terrible night over and over again, he could have sworn that he heard a loud sonic boom out in the night air. Rex didn't even bother to get up to see if it was a fiery meteor that contained another alien robot. If it did, he didn't want to see it or know about it.

The next day, there was some aftermath from the storm. The pouring rain had drowned out some of the hay and cotton plants out in the fields, Jeffery was in a very foul mood. He had been planning on pulling up the last of them and selling them at the fall fair coming up but they had been ruined because of the rain. So mostly everyone kept their mouths shut while around him.

Not many people bothered Rex that day, which was to his relief. He was too tired from the lack of sleep because of the storm to deal with them.

Instead, there was a lot of talk going on about something that happened the past couple of months, which finally reached the boring little town of Brewton. It was those strange events again that Rex had always been interesting in. It had been brought up in Social Studies while he was practicing his right hand writing again and ignoring a few silent jibes about how his hand writing looked like a first grader's.

It had been Sally May again who brought it up.

"According to the news, last June, there was this huge explosion out in the Pacific Ocean right in Oregon! It was so big that it pretty much lit up the entire West coast." Sally May started to explain in class, getting even Rex's attention. He was trying very hard not to look at her though. He had a habit of starting to blush when he did. It was no mistake that he had started to develop a crush for Sally. She was very pretty and very smart but she was also very taken by Billy Montgomery.

Besides, what chance did a one armed kid have with someone like Sally May? Zip! Zilch! She probably didn't even like him anyway, just like everyone else. Though, she was nearly the only one who smiled at him when he did meet her eyes.

"Did they say what it was, Sally?" The teacher asked, smiling with interest.

Sally May shook her head, letting her blonde waves bounce off her shoulders, catching the sun a little and make Rex's heart thump even harder as he watched them. "Nope. The media didn't give all of the full details. They just said that it was the Government who was doing some military exercises and something went wrong. I think it was some jets accidentally crashing into one another or something. But it was around the time when Markle brought in his news article." She announced.

That perked Rex's attention right up and he looked directly at her. There was only one thought going through his head. He knew it had to be the alien robots. The Government was covering them up and if there was a huge explosion that the media couldn't explain, it had to be.

Of course, someone had noticed. Terra, in fact, had noticed and she smiled rather wickedly to herself. "I bet you anything that it was that giant alien robot that Rex saw a week ago. It was causing havoc and destruction." She said, rather teasingly.

And the class burst into laughter, minus Sally May.

Rex's face flushed a little but he glared at his cousin for what she said. She was just taunting him again, just like everyone else. He didn't want to even argue with her, nor was he going to. So he just kept his mouth shut as he glared down at his paper and went back to his writing. He didn't even see the look that Sally May shot her best friend.

Most of the day, it was like that. There were a few others who heard about it and snickered, making Rex's mood feel fouler. So it was easy to say, he wasn't caring to do his work in computer class. He just browsed the internet, pretending that he was doing his work on another US history assignment, looking for the same report that Sally May had found. He found something but it was just as she said. The media was saying that it was a US Air force aerial practice that went wrong.

And that's when the Instant Message popped up.

**masterspitzy_spitz: Hey, Dinosaur man! How's it going? You didn't get caught I see.**

The message from the weirdo guy surprised Rex for a moment. He had not expected to hear from this guy again. He thought he would never hear from him again. But after a moment, he gritted his teeth and typed his reply.

_t-rex: fuck off. I did get caught by my teacher and thanks to you, I have to pay for a new computer._

And then Rex hit the block box and went back to work. It was only to his surprise, the weirdo guy went back a message.

**masterspitzy_spitz: Hey, man! You wanted to know and I warned you that they would scoop us for me showing you that video. So don't tell me to eff off! I told you to turn off your computer!**

_t-rex: I did! But it still fried my computer! Thank you for sending me that "effing" computer virus that destroyed my school computer! And I just blocked you! How did you send me another message?!_

**masterspitzy_spitz: lol. Dude, I'm a Computer God. I can bypass any block you throw at me. And I'm sorry about your computer. It's just, you asked about the aliens and so I told you. Be lucky they haven't showed up at your door yet.**

Rex had to pause as he read that response. He knew he had asked about the alien robots, so he couldn't deny that one. But the question he had to ask now.......

_t-rex: They?_

There was a pause in weirdo's response. It was like he was thinking about what to type next or he was sending a long reply. So to make sure he didn't get caught talking to this guy, he downsized the chat box and pulled up his work again. Good thing too, because the teacher was passing by his computer. He could feel her eyes on him for a moment before she went on to scold another boy for looking up porn. He was getting yelled at something fierce too and it seemed that it was going to occupy her time.

**masterspitzy_spitz: They, man. The Fuzz, the suits. I'm talking about the Government. I can't tell you too much because they've got people all over the network, scoping out any keywords that deals with our big space friends. Or, whatever they are. That's how we got scooped the last time. I'm surprised none of them showed up at your door yet. But if they do, run and hide, man. They'll try to black mail you into keeping quiet about these things. I've been dodging their techies for a while. So far, it's been working. I've been having hacker battles with one of their techies for months now. She's a real female dog too! First time I battled her, I underestimated her and she fried my computer, just like she probably fried yours. Her specialties are spyderbot viruses. I sometimes call her the Golden Widow because of her. You know, like the Black Widow? The spider? **

Rex had scoff when he read that entire response and shake his head as he typed his next reply, which took a minute.

_t-rex: why call her that?_

**masterspitzy_spitz: I hacked into her webcam once and saw her. She's hot! She's not black or doesn't have black hair. She's blonde. And she ain't no blonde ditz either. Of course, she should remember that hackers shouldn't have webcams in the first place. I think she thought about it after I saw her and started calling her the Golden Widow because I couldn't access it again. I think she disconnected it. But still, she's a real mean hacker, I'll tell you that. So want to know anything new?**

Slowly, Rex nodded. He could understand that. He figured that was how this weirdo guy knew what "Her" hair color was.

_t-rex: so how do you know about the robots? What are they? _

**masterspitzy_spitz: Hmm. I never really thought about what they were. All I know is that they came down from the big black and all. I only know about them because I'm into that kind of stuff. Always been a believer. So when I scooped out this video that dealt with the Nevada City attack, that's how I found out about them. **

_t-rex: so you've never seen them yourself?_

**masterspitzy_spitz: Nope! Not really. But I know that they exist. I've been following after their media mess for a while now. I've mostly just seen the news feeds before they get taken down. **

Rex paused, thinking about the Mack truck. He wasn't sure if he should tell this guy about that one. Especially if there were Government techies keeping an eye on the network. He was not a hacker. He wasn't even good with computers. So if he did tell the weirdo guy about the Mack and they got, as he made it, scooped, there was no way he could cover his tracks. And he really didn't want to know what the Government would do about covering the alien robot up. Besides, he wasn't even sure if the Mack was dangerous. It had known that he had been there that night when it arrived and it hadn't even done anything to him. And it seemed to be following him around a little because he had seen it a few times now, though it was always keeping its distance. It never got too close that would actually freak him out. Though, actually seeing it freaked him out.

But it seemed that the decision was made for him.

"Rex Rory! You better not be chatting with someone over there!" The teacher called over, sounding very annoyed.

Jumping a little, Rex quickly typed three letters he knew that the "Computer God" would understand.

_t-rex-gtg. _

And then he was off before the teacher could even make her way over to where he was trying to look innocent and do his work. She narrowed her eyes at him but went on with nothing else to say.

In his last class, which happened to be Algebra II, Rex was staring out the window, frowning when he saw in the furthest corner of the school that big, red Mack truck. What did it want? Why was it following him? It made him nervous but he knew very well that if it really wanted him, it would not waste any time getting to him.

"What are you?" Rex murmured quietly under his breath.

"What was that?"

For the third time that day, Rex jumped when he heard someone speak to him. He hadn't been expecting anyone to even talk to him at school. No one did. But much his surprise, when he turned to see who it was, he drew back when he saw Sally May standing over him, looking curious. She had a pretty smile on her equally pretty face. So it couldn't be helped when he stiffened, staring at her with wide eyes.

Both of them were quiet for a moment before Sally shrugged, deciding to just move on. "So, Rex, I kind of wanted to apologize to you for how everyone was treating you lately. It hasn't been fair on your part." She told him as she plopped down in the seat next to his.

"You're telling me." Rex finally murmured before shaking his head. "Don't worry about it. It doesn't bother me too much....."

"Don't lie." Sally interrupted, looking squarely into his eyes. She almost looked too serious and it even un-nerved Rex a little. "Rex, it is too bothering you. They're treating you like some kind of circus freak just because you lost an arm." She ignored the fact that he looked away, foreorn at her words. "That's really not fair."

Rex listened silently and agreed with her. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that he lost his parents and his arm and everyone was treating him so sourly. It wasn't fair at all. And it seemed that Sally understood his predicament pretty well. He had to offer her a meek smile for it, which she returned. "Thanks......" He said quietly.

There was a pause as Sally just smiled back at him, though it sort of faded a little as if she thought about something that she didn't want to. She was almost hesitating now about something she was going to tell him but then she shook her head and lightly reached over, patting his right arm. "Hey, um, Rex. Saturday, my parents are letting me throw a little party. Do you want to.....you know, come?" She asked.

For the first time since being at Brewton, Rex's eyes lit up brightly. He couldn't believe it. He was actually getting invited to a party! By Sally May! The girl he was starting to crush on had actually invited him to a party to her house! "Yeah! I'd love to come!" He told her.

Smiling, Sally nodded as she pushed herself to her feet. "Okay. I'll give you one of the invites later when I'm actually done making them. But I got to get back to my seat." She told him before waving her fingers at him and leaving him to gloat a little.

That night, Rex was feeling pretty good about himself for the first time in a real long time. He had been invited to a party by his crush, he was going to a Monster Truck rally that night! He couldn't help but feel that things were really starting to change for the better now. He couldn't really think that anything would go bad after this. So when he got dressed for that night, wearing dark blue jeans and an ACDC tee shirt, he could have skipped down the stairs where Derrick was waiting with his parents and a girl.

Aunt Jan smiled at him when he entered the room, which he quickly returned as he approached them. He barely caught what Derrick was saying to his father, though it wasn't too interesting. He was just introducing the girl to him and she was going with. Her name was Emily, according to him.

"All right. We better get going if we want a good seat." Derrick said, pausing to glance at Rex before nodding towards the door.

Nodding right back, Rex gave his aunt a smile before heading towards the door with Derrick and Emily right behind him. He was really psyched about this. This was going to be a lot of fun and he couldn't wait to see all of those huge trucks roaring their engines, crushing smaller cars and just doing whatever the trucks did!

The drive out to the stadium was kind of long. It nearly took about a half an hour to get there, due to it being nearly fifteen miles away. Derrick was leading a little convoy of his friends out there in his police cruiser. He kept glancing into the rearview mirror at Rex, who was sitting in the back of his cruiser but he still didn't say anything. He just kept on driving while Emily was trying to find a good radio station to listen to.

Entering the town where the rally was at, though Rex didn't have a clue which one, he was surprised when Derrick pulled over in front of a few buildings on the main street. He frowned at his cousin for a second before looking around. He didn't see any Monster Trucks yet. So why were they stopping.

The answer came pretty quickly when Derrick turned around and shoved money into Rex's right hand.

"All right. Here's the deal." Derrick began, now looking very stern at his younger cousin. "Emily just got into town the other day and she really wants to go to the Monster Rally with us. But all of the tickets are already sold out so I've decided to give her yours." He held up a hand when Rex started to look at him in outrage. "Shut up, Rex! Let me finish! Now, here's about twenty bucks. And there's the movie theatre. You can pick whatever movie you want to watch. Even the rated R ones. I know the manager here and he owes me a favor so just mention my name and he'll give you whatever you want, putting it on my tab. But if," His eyes grew very cold as he spoke. "You ever tell my dad and my mother about this, I will make your life a living hell, cousin. I swear, I will make you look so bad that you will be a constant visitor to the slammer. Got that?"

Rex glared at Derrick, not believing this! "Derrick, I wanted to go to the rally! You can't do this......!" He was saying.

Derrick's very dark, cold look shut him off quickly. He looked as if he wanted nothing more than to just drive out in the middle of no where and drop him off. "I know you want to go to the Rally but I plan on having some fun with my friends. Not a little sour pussy cousin with one arm." He said, before grinning slyly as he glanced sideward at Emily, who started to giggle. "Besides, I'm going to have some alone time with this hottie right here. And that's an X rated show that you can't watch, kid. Now get out and go watch a movie. I'll be back to pick you up in three hours so if the movie ends, there's a bunch of video games in there too. Feel free to play them. Now get out."

Rex didn't move as he just remained glaring at his cousin. He did not want to move. He wasn't going to move. This was not fair at all! Derrick was suppose to take him to the Monster truck rally. He had told his parents that he would take him to the Monster truck rally. He had wanted to see that Night Mare truck again and whatever other Monster trucks there were.

But, now, he was being cheated into watching a movie instead.

However, when he didn't move, Derrick looked back at him with his very dark eyes, giving him a very dangerous look. It was enough to send a chill through Rex. He knew that he didn't want to press his cousin any more. So he slowly grabbed the door handle and climbed out of the car, stepping out onto the side walk. Derrick almost didn't wait for him to close the door before he sped off with his laughing friends following after in their cars. He just wrapped an arm around Emily and was off down the street. Rex just stood there, staring after the car, feeling very pissed off yet....clearly upset. He felt cheated and alone. Abandoned was more the word. But with a deep, angry and frustrated sigh, he turned and went up to the entrance of the movie theatre and purchased a movie ticket to see the most violent rated R movie they were playing. And all throughout the movie, he pretended that the people who were getting killed by a mass murderer were Derrick and his friends.

Three hours later, Rex was standing outside the now closed movie theatre, waiting for Derrick to come get him. It was a little chilly that night, so he was somewhat cursing himself for not grabbing his jacket. He hadn't thought he would need one. Boy, was he pissed now?

Another hour passed , Rex nearly fell asleep on the curb, waiting for Derrick. It began to occur to him that his cousin was not coming back for him. He had probably forgotten about him.

Swearing violently under his breath, the young teenager climbed to his feet and began making his way down the road. He figured that he had just better walk home, though it was fifteen miles away. He would call his aunt and uncle for a ride but then again, the threat that Derrick made at him was still in his head and he really didn't want to see how vicious the 'cop' could be. It was going to be a very long walk, that was for sure. It just made his chest feel........

Rex stopped dead in his tracks when he looked up to cross the deserted street. It wasn't like he could cross the street anyway because there was a vehicle there, blocking his path. And not just any vehicle.

A big, red, Mack truck.


	6. Chapter 6 Magnus

**Title: **Big Bad and Red

**Genre: **Action/Drama/Friendship

**Rating: **T for some strong language, some violence, mild adult content, some crude humor.

**Summary: **Sixteen year old, city slicking orphan child, Rex Rory lives in Alabama and he has only one arm. What else can go wrong? Oh.....yeah. He just met a huge alien robot that turns into a big, temperamental, red Mack semi truck.

* * *

**~Chapter Six~**

_Magnus_

* * *

His heart starting to pump hard in his chest, Rex couldn't even find the will to turn and run away as fast as he could. He felt frozen right where he stood. He couldn't move his legs, even though he tried. He just stared wide eyed up at the Mack that just sat between him and the other side of the road. There wasn't even any one else out on that street so no one would see him getting crushed by this thing.

Chest heaving a little, Rex was really trying to fight himself to take a step back but he still couldn't move. He could feel every inch of his body starting to tremble as he just stared at the truck.

Both remained un-moving for a very long moment before the air breaks released into a sigh from the truck and then the passenger door swung open, finally making Rex jump a little. He still didn't turn to run away, knowing that he would never escape on time. He could try yelling for help but he just knew that wouldn't make a difference. The truck would be on him faster than he would have liked.

**"Get in." **A deep voice rumbled from within the cab, startling Rex. **"I'll give you a lift." **

Startled, Rex finally stepped back, staring at the truck. He couldn't believe this. It was talking to him again. But it.....it wasn't threatening him. Its words actually surprised him. It was offering.......it was offering him a ride home?! "Wh-what.......?" He managed to stammer out.

The truck crept forward a little on the road, turning its wheels as if trying to look over at him with its head lights but it didn't move any more when Rex took a few more steps back. **"It's all right. I won't hurt you. It seems to me that your comrades have left you behind. They have already left this inhabitance, going back to where your barracks are kept." **The truck paused for a moment. **"They're not coming back for you. It seems they have forgotten to pick you up. Unless you would like to stay here all night, climb in." **

Rex hesitated again, staring at the truck. He did not want to climb into that thing. He had no idea what it would do to him if he did. But then again, he knew that it had a point. He would end up being in this town, which ever one it was all night long. Derrick had forgotten about him along with his stupid friends and now he would have walked home.

The problem with that was it would have taken him all night long to get home. By that time, it would be early morning and he would have to get up for school. He was cursing Derrick even harder than before. He was going to make him pay for this.

That is, if he lived through the night.

Looking back at the truck, Rex took a shaky breath before moving forward. He knew that it was his only chance of getting home at all. He didn't like it that was for sure. But it was the only thing that seemed to be up right now. "Um......uh......" He winced when he stammered over his words. "I.....I.....wa-was......um......I'm....not...suppose to....suppose to ride with....."

A chuckle from the truck made Rex jump a little, startling him that it was even laughing at his words. He felt his face flushed a little, knowing he probably sounded like a broken record and now that this alien robot was making fun of him.

**"Not suppose to ride with strangers, hm? I believe I've read that line somewhere on the Web. That's a very smart idea." **The truck chuckled again. **"Very well. Let's not be strangers. My designation, youngling, is Ultra Magnus. Will that help?" **

Rex had to narrow his eyes a little, confused of what this thing just said. He didn't understand it at first but as he thought about it, he realized what it meant. It had just introduced itself to him. "Designation? You mean.....your name? Your name is......um, Ult......what?" He found himself murmur just loud enough for it to hear him.

There was a light hum as if it was nodding at him. **"Ultra Magnus. It is very different from you humans are used to. So if you would like, you may call me Magnus. Now, I believe this is where you tell me your name." **It told him almost as quietly.

Blinked several times, Rex wasn't even sure if he should tell this thing his name. But it had told him its name. And it was rude not to answer someone's request, alien robot or not. So clearing his throat, Rex reached up with his right hand and scratched his head. "Um....I'm....I'm Rex. Rex Rory." He said, almost wincing that he even decided to do this.

The truck hummed again before opening its passenger door wider. **"Nice to meet you, Rex Rory. Now, why don't you climb in and I will take you back to your barracks?" **It chuckled again when Rex stepped back, lowering his head almost suspiciously at it. **"I promise, I won't hurt you. It's better than just staying out here all night. You need your recharge. As far as I have observed, you always seem to get up before your energy source, the Sun, as I have come to learn it is designed as, has risen to announce your new day. You are rather worn out as it is, I am sensing." **

Not helping himself, Rex scoffed quietly shaking his head. "You know....it's kind of rude to stalk someone. And very creepy. Have you been watching me all this time since I saw you arrive?" He couldn't help but ask.

**"I suppose I have. The reason being of my observations of you, I have been trying to time myself right to approach you about that night. I didn't want to frighten you though. And you have told people about me." **It ignored the fact that Rex stiffened. **"But no one has believed you. You are in no danger whatsoever so you can relax. I would not hurt you even if someone did believe you. It is against the Autobot policies and against The Prime's words about the human race. Meaning, I'm not allowed, as an Autobot, to hurt humans." **

Still staring at it, Rex had to blink several times as he tried to register what this thing just said. He had no clue what it was talking about other than the fact that it just said it wasn't allowed to hurt humans. "Uh....okay. I don't think I understand a word you just said. Except....you mean to say....you're not here to hurt humans?"

**"Affirmative." **

Slowly nodding, Rex felt himself relaxing only a little as he took a few more steps towards the Mack. He was still feeling very uneasy about this but for some reason, there was also a feeling of security from this alien robot's words. He looked it over as if searching for any kind of weapon that it might try to use against him. But he didn't see anything.

After nothing happened as Rex moved closer to it, he finally moved right to the step up and took a hold of the door handle. He had to freeze for a moment after touching the alien robot but again, nothing happened. So he stepped up into the cab, moving very slow though. He was still questioning his own sanity for doing this. He had to be insane to even think about climbing into the alien robot's cab. He must have been a real idiot to do it. But as he slid into the passenger seat, still looking around the cab, he slowly began to relax. There was a feeling of peace within the truck's cab. He didn't feel a threat or anything coming from the alien robot. He couldn't help but tense when the passenger door closed with a light thud.

**"You should probably buckle up." **The alien's voice rumbled from the radio, startling Rex.

"Uh....okay." The young teen muttered before reaching for the seatbelt right behind the black leather seats. He almost jumped again when the seat belt stretched out to meet his hand. He stared at it for a second before smiling faintly. "Cool." He said before pulling it over his lap and clicking it into the buckle.

The truck didn't move for a moment, as if waiting for Rex to relax a little before it began to roll down the street, picking up its speed.

For a very long time, neither one spoke. Rex was still very stiff sitting in the leather seats. He couldn't believe that he was in this predicament. He was actually riding in one of the alien robots. It was kind of exciting, yet scary at the same time. There were a lot of thoughts running through his head, some bad and some good. But there was the fact that what the alien robot had said to him before that had his attention.

"Um....." Rex tried to say, pausing to think of how he was going to ask it. "So....um....if you're.....an.....alien robot, right? And you're not here.....to, uh.....hurt us....humans? Right? So....if you're not here to hurt us....then why are you here?"

There was a pause as the truck continued to just drive down the road, out of the small town. It seemed to be trying to collect its thoughts before answering because of how long it was quiet for. But then its engine hummed once before it did. **"Yes. I suppose you could say I am an alien robot. I am an Autonomous Robotic Organism from a distant planet called Cybertron. We usually just call ourselves Autobots for short. As I said, my designation is Ultra Magnus. I am one of the Combatant Commanders for the Autobots. I have arrived on Earth to assist my already Earth bound troops to protect your world from the dark desires of the Decepticons." **He explained.

"The Decept....? The Decepticons?" Rex asked, folding his one arm across his stomach, staring at the radio with a frown. "What are they?"

**"They are Cybertronians, much like myself. Giant alien robots from Cybertron, yet they do not see eye to eye with the Autobots. They actually wish to destroy your world of Earth and your people because that's just what they do. They are extremely destructive and they are also hunting for Energon, collective energy to save our own planet, which is actually dying because of a nearly million year war that has been going on between the Decepticons and the Autobots." **Magnus explained. **"Our planet is dying because a long time ago, a very important Energon Source called the All Spark was launched off Cybertron to keep it from the clutches of the Decepticons, who only wish to use it to create a vast army to destroy and take over the Universal worlds surrounding our own. It, as I understand from the Prime's reports, came here to Earth and that's mostly why we came to Earth. But due to certain circumstances, the All Spark had to be destroyed a a year ago because of the Decepticon's powerful Leader, Megatron had almost succeeded to capturing it. If he would have captured the All Spark, your world would have become enslaved the Decepticons and probably destroyed. We, the Autobots, have come to your world to protect it from them." **

Rex took in all of the information, nodding as he listened. It did make some sense after thinking about it. As far as he understood it, Magnus' people, the Autobots were on Earth to protect the human race from their counter parts, the Decepticons. "Okay. So....you said that the All Spark was what keeping your planet alive, right? And it was destroyed? How?" He asked, frowning.

The Mack hummed thoughtfully as if he didn't know himself. **"Well.....like I said, the exact details are unknown. I'm afraid when I arrived, some of my functions were severely damaged." **The truck groaned at that thought. **"Ratchet's going to have a fit when he finds out." **

"Ratchet?" Rex had to ask, a smile creeping up on his face. He was starting to find this alien robot amusing.

**"Ugh. You don't want to know, boy. Believe me. He's the Autobot Chief Medical Officer and he takes any kind of injuries too seriously." **Magnus remarked, groaning again and almost making Rex laugh nervously. **"Anyway, back to what I was explaining, the Autobot Leader, Optimus Prime, has been sending out transmissions into the space between our worlds, inviting Autobots to come Earth. We have been granted asylum on your Planet in return of protecting it from the Decepticons. We do live in secret for a few reasons, which Prime has explained in his reports." **

"What reason would it be to keep all of you a secret from the rest of the world?" Rex asked, his tone just a little accusing. He almost expected Ultra Magnus to be annoyed with him.

But instead, Magnus hummed thoughtfully again. **"Think about it, boy. Do you really think that your world would be ready to know about giant alien robots who can transform into their means of transportation and fight a good fight on your planet against their own kind? Do you really think your kind might be able to understand that we would kill our own kind just to protect another's?" **He asked, carefully.

That took Rex surprise. He had to pause for a very long moment to think about it. He could see Magnus' point now that he actually thought about it. He knew that some might understand the situation with these aliens but.....most? He knew that Magnus had made a real good point. Most of the world wouldn't understand.

So after a long three minutes, the young teenager nodded. "Okay. I guess you're right. Most humans wouldn't understand. I don't understand. But I guess......I guess I can relate. So....all of those news reports about Government mistakes and all of the explosions that they keep covering up......?"

**"They are battles between Autobots and Decepticons. You're American Government have been trying to keep the war between our worlds out of the acknowledgement of the humans. They have also been assisting the Autobots to trying to destroy the Decepticons. It is only for the best that the rest of your world stayed out of the war, though sometimes Optimus thinks it might be best to let everyone know what is going on. It's the fact that if the rest of the world knew about us, the Decepticons might start trying to destroy cities to keep us distracted. They have not yet thought of doing that because we are a secret to Earth. And because of their leader's destruction. Megatron was destroyed in what you may know as the Mission City battle." **

Rex's eyes lit up when he heard about that. Immediately, thoughts about that report were flaring up in his head. "So that was you guys! It was the aliens.....I mean, the Autobots and Decepticons that destroyed most of that city." He said, enthusiastically.

**"Indeed. I was not here, of course, when that happened but I have received the reports about it. At the time, the Decepticons had been after the All Spark and they almost captured it if it wasn't for one of your own kind that used it as a weapon to destroy the Spark of Megatron." **Magnus explained.

"Spark?" Rex asked curiously.

The Mack hummed again thoughtfully, and it did sort of sound like he was smiling. **"Spark. As in your human terms, they are our hearts. Look down between the seats, on the floor." **He told him and Rex did. **"See that floor panel? Lift it up." **

Rex had to unbuckle the seat belt to do that. He bent over on the seat and lift up a floor panel between the seats only to pause when he saw a blue glow on the other side. His eyes growing wider, he lift the floor panel higher so to look in and was almost mesmerized by a ball of glowing electricity. He was almost hesitant to look at it. For a moment, he thought he might be electrocuted but all it was doing was sitting in a large metal chamber within the truck floor.

"Whoa!" Rex breathed, staring at the blue electric ball with amazement. "What is that?"

**"That, youngling, is my Spark. My heart. It also said to be my soul." **Magnus chuckled when Rex looked at the radio with wide eyes. **"If that was to be damaged, I could be killed. Now, if you will, put the floor panel back. It's getting a little breezy in there." **

"Oh! Sorry!"

The Mack chuckled again, watching as Rex lowered the floor panel back down and then settled back into his seat. **"Anyway, that's basically the gist of things. I have come to Earth to find the Autobots to aid them in the war against the Decepticons. So, you really have no need to fear me. I mean you no harm." **He told the young boy.

Rex nodded again, taking everything in. It all made sense and he certainly felt a little more relaxed knowing that Magnus was there to protect the humans other than destroy them like he had been thinking he had come to do when he first arrived. But there was still one thing in his mind that bothered him. "If you're here to look for your friends, why haven't you left Brewton yet? You've been here nearly a week and a half. I would think you'd be in a hurry to find them." He said, tilting his head to the side.

There was a pause and then a sound of someone clearing their throat, or as if they were embarrassed. **"Well, as I said before, when I became Earth Bound, the landing was a little harder than I would have liked. Some of my functions were damaged, which includes my Navigational systems and my Communications. That, and I am patrolling your town to be sure that there are no Decepticons in the general area." **Magnus explained, now growing a little serious after his strike of embarrassment. **"I am afraid before I came down to Earth, I had been in locked in battle with one before entering the atmosphere. He attacked me out of nowhere, though I did some damage right back to him." **

Rex tensed to hear that but scratching his head, he nodded. "So, there's......there's one of the bad robots close by?" He asked, uneasily.

**"No. I have yet to pick up his signal, which I am glad that my signature radar is still intact. So far, I haven't seen anything of him. So my guesses are that he has either not come Earth Bound yet or he came crashing down somewhere else. I can only guess he went crashing down into your ocean." **Magnus told him, almost chuckling.

Even Rex had to smile at that thought. He wondered if these "Cybertronians" could even swim if they landed in water. It would have been an interesting to watching one do a cannon ball into the Gulf of Mexico. And he couldn't even stop the snort of laughter from escaping when an image of a giant alien robot doing a belly flop.

**"I take it you've found something amusing." **The Mack rumbled, sounding a little curious and amused, himself.

The only thing that Rex could do was wave a hand at the radio, trying to give Magnus the hint that he was better off not even asking as he tried to keep himself from laughing at the hilarious images going through his head right at the moment.

After a moment of taking deep breaths to calm himself down, more thoughts ran through Rex's head and he just had to voice them. "So.....you're lost, aren't you? You don't know how to find your friends?" He asked, tilting his head to the side, watching the radio curiously. He just wondered how Ultra Magnus would take that suggestion. It hadn't pretty, that was for sure.

**"I am not lost!" **Magnus suddenly burst out, almost offended. He, however, paused for a very long moment when Rex tensed up in his seat, looking at his radio in an uneasy way. The Mack truck released his air breaks into a sigh. **"All right. Maybe I am. Forgive me, youngling. I did not mean to startle you. I am......I suppose you could say that I have a very difficult time admitting that I have a bit of a very strong sense of pride. Admitting that I cannot find my way is a little touchy for me." **He grumbled.

Rex had to laugh a little nervously as he slowly relaxed again. "You're telling me. I didn't mean.....I didn't mean to......" He was saying.

The Mack sighed again. **"Do not apologize, Young Rex. The fault is not your own. I just need to adjust my temper a little. I have been told by many of my comrades that I tend to get.....as you would say, here on Earth, grouchy." **He then joined Rex when he laughed nervously again and both of them relaxed further more.

There was a short pause as they went on down the street in silence. Rex couldn't really think of anything more he wanted to ask Magnus. There were dozens of questions he wanted to ask the alien robot but he wasn't exactly sure how to ask them without starting to babble. He was very sure what Magnus now wanted of him after all of those days of following him around. Especially when he had just told the young teen that his navigational system was down, as well as his communications.

So it was obvious that Magnus was just trying to find it inside of himself to even ask Rex for a little bit of help.

So biting his lip, Rex reached up and scratched the back of his neck, almost shyly. He knew of how to help Magnus. The question was at the moment, did he really want to see the Mack truck take off so quick when he had so many questions to ask him. Still, Magnus did kind of need his help.

"Um.....if you want.....I can print off the directions to where you need to go at school tomorrow. " Rex offered.

Magnus was quiet for a moment as he let Rex's words process before humming again thoughtfully. **"That would be great, Rex. Thank you. I probably won't leave for a few more days though. I want to make sure that Nemesis Strika doesn't land any where near your human city." **He said, though his words struck cold with Rex.

That name that Magnus just said sent a chill down the young teen's back. Just the sound of it made him uneasy. "Nem.....Nemesis.....? Strike? Wh-who's.....?" He questioned uneasily.

**"Nemesis Strika. He was the Decepticon I was locked into battle with before coming down to Earth. He's a real nasty piece of work, truth be told. He's also the leader of his own Strike Team, Team Charr. The two of us have been great enemies since the war even began. He caused quite the mess with my functions, so the Earth bound landing wasn't entirely to blame. But as I said, I have not picked up his signal for several days now. And to make sure he doesn't show up, I will stay for a few days and patrol your city and make sure that he doesn't show up. If he was to known that I have made contact with you, Rex, there is a very good chance that he might target you to get to me. So, you must never tell anyone my name after I do leave. It's for your own safety." **Magnus told him.

Still feeling a chill running down his spine, Rex was quick to nod. He didn't think he would ever tell anyone about Ultra Magnus now that he actually knew him. He had a purpose for remaining a secret on Earth and the young teen had to respect that. So, he made a promise to himself that he wouldn't tell anyone in Brewton about Ultra Magnus. "Okay. I won't tell anyone." He told him.

**"Thank you, youngling. Ah, we are now approaching your barracks." **Magnus stated as he pulled onto the road, leading to Rex's relative's house.

Rex looked out the window, almost surprised that he was home so quickly. He hadn't even realized that Magnus had even arrived in Brewton. He probably even realize that the Mack truck had been going almost 85 mph the entire time either. After having a long talk with the alien.....no. After having a long talk with the Autobot, Rex realized that the time passed so quickly because he had been having fun talking to Magnus.

So when Magnus finally stopped near the house and opened the passenger door for him, Rex hopped down from him before turning around and walking to the front of the large Mack, looking up at the windshield with an awed smile. His eyes then caught the insignia right where a bulldog mascot should have been.

It was a square robotic face.

Rex decided to put that face back into his memory, saving it for later. He would only pull it up whenever he met another alien robot, just to see if it was an Autobot or a Decepticon. He was sure that a Decepticon's insignia would be very different. So if he found one that didn't look like this one, he probably would end up running for it or trying very hard not to catch its attention.

Smiling up in awe at Magnus, Rex slowly reached out and touched the front of the hood. "Thank you, Magnus. For the ride. And.....and for showing me that I don't have to be scared of you." He said, almost sheepishly.

A deep chuckle escaped from the engine before the truck pushed only a little against Rex's palm, stopping close to him. **"You're welcome, youngling. Although, it is not me that you should be afraid of, it is the Decepticons. If you were to ever see one, run. They will have no regret in hurting you. They are very destructive, Rex Rory. And they will do whatever it takes to catch us, Autobots, off guard." **He paused for a moment before rolling back away from the young teenage boy. **"I will remain close to your residence, standing guard. Until tomorrow, recharge well." **

Rex only nodded before he turned headed straight for the house. He hesitated about going inside the front door. Just by looking up at the dark windows, he knew that everyone was asleep. He didn't want to wake them up by going through the front door. More or less, if he did wake them up, there would be questions of why he wasn't arriving with Derrick. And judging by the police cruiser not being in the drive way, he wasn't home yet.

"Um......" Rex hummed before looking up at his window. He could always just climb to the window, but the question was, how was he going to get up there?

**"Need some assistance?" **

Rex jumped a little at Magnus' voice, turning around to see that he had pulled up a little closer to the house and probably watching him. He had to bite his lip at the thought of letting Magnus help him get to his window. "Um......well, I just need to climb to my window. Everyone's asleep and I don't want to wake them up." He pretty much whispered to the Mack.

Magnus hummed thoughtfully, backing up a little. He was still for a moment, probably examining the house for that moment before rolling up to the porch. **"Climb up onto my hood and then up on top of the roof. I would transform and lift you up, myself. But I'm afraid that it may wake your comrades if I do. The transformations tend to be a little noisy." **He told Rex.

Nodding, Rex stepped up onto the porch and then pulled himself onto the railing so that he could step onto Magnus' very high hood. He almost hesitated about stepping onto him. He just hoped that he didn't dent him or anything.

As if guessing his thoughts, Magnus chuckled again. **"It's quite all right, Rex. We, Cybertronians are created of the strongest metal in the Universe. It is not exactly easy to damage us. You can step up." **He told him quietly.

Again, Rex nodded and stepped up onto the hood, having to reach over and grab the metal reflectors on the cab to keep his balance. Especially when Magnus carefully began to pull closer to the porch roof. He merely inched though so not to knock the young human off balance.

Once close to the roof, Rex climbed up onto it and walked over to his window, climbing through. He turned around to look back down at the large Mack, smiling down at him and waving. "Thanks again, Magnus. See you tomorrow." He called silently down to the Autobot. He then watched as Magnus revved his engine quickly before turning and driving off down the street.

For the first time ever while being in Brewton, Rex Rory felt somewhat happy.

* * *

Somewhere near the border line between Alabama and Florida, the very Monster truck that Rex Rory had been interested in was parked out right by a Marriot Hotel, where its owners were inside sleeping, or something else. The Monster truck itself was interesting enough, causing only a few late night pass byers to slow down and look at it. But they all just went on their way without stopping.

However, if anyone had stopped to look at the truck, they would have noticed the dark shadow creeping out of the trees and would have felt the light rumbling tremors of heavy feet approaching the Monster Truck.

It was the very loud crunch of metal that jerked Joseph Miller and his wife, Trista Miller out of their sleep. It probably woke up many of the hotel's patrons. But hearing a loud engine revv, he was up and out of his bed, clothed or not and sprinting towards the window to see what it was. He started swearing up a storm cloud as soon as he saw the huge ball of crushed metal sitting right where his truck had once been.

Running outside, wearing only his tightie- whities, Joseph started yelling out curse words as he just looked at his once proud and beautiful baby was now a crushed ball of metal.

No one saw the nearly twelve foot charcoal colored Monster truck with a very nasty paint job of a Banshee on the hood with flaming red eyes driving away. No one saw as it seemed to melt into the darkness of the streets as it rumbled away. And no one saw that along the side of the huge truck was scrawled in hellish red; Nemesis.


	7. Chapter 7 A Change of Scenery

**Title: **Big Bad and Red

**Genre: **Action/Drama/Friendship

**Rating: **T for some strong language, some violence, mild adult content, some crude humor.

**Summary: **Sixteen year old, city slicking orphan child, Rex Rory lives in Alabama and he has only one arm. What else can go wrong? Oh.....yeah. He just met a huge alien robot that turns into a big, temperamental, red Mack semi truck.

* * *

**~Chapter Seven~**

_A Change of Scenery_

* * *

There was really no way to prepare Rex for what was to happen the very next morning. He had almost forgotten about the night's events when he got up and started getting ready for school. He felt very tired, that was for certain. He almost forgot of why he felt so tired as he washed up for the day and got dressed before heading down stairs.

It was entering the kitchen did he freeze when he saw two men nearly having a standoff.

Seeing Jeffery Rory standing right before his rather tired and worn out looking cousin, glaring at him woke Rex up very quickly. He immediately knew something had happened between them that probably was not very good at all. Not with Uncle Jeffery glaring at Derrick like he was. He was not the only one staring wide eyed between the two. Aunt Jan was behind the counter with her hand pressed against her chest while Terra was cringing her chair as she watched the scene before her.

No one seemed to notice Rex right off as they watched father and son standoff with one another. In fact, even Derrick looked confused about why his father was so mad. He had his back pressed against the fridge while Jeffery had a fist full of his shirt.

"Wh-what......what's going on?" Rex found himself ask uneasily.

Jan and Terra looked at him with wide eyes but neither one could even answer his question while they looked back up at Jeffery and Derrick. It took a very long moment for anyone to answer Rex's question.

In fact, it was Uncle Jeffery. "Rex," He began his tone very stern but he still did not look at his nephew. "I want you to be very honest with me. Do not lie to me, do not try and cover up anything. You just tell me the truth. Who the hell gave you a ride home last night?"

Rex froze at the question as he registered into his mind before his eyes snapped open wide. He instantly remembered everything that happened the night before. He remembered that he was suppose to go to a Monster truck rally with Derrick but his cousin had dropped him off at a movie theatre instead, taking a girl with his ticket. He remembered having to wait for hours for Derrick to show up and not even come back. He even remembered who had rescued him in the night and gave him a lift home.

He remembered meeting Ultra Magnus, the alien robot who was driving around as a huge red Mack truck, who had also given him a ride home.

Still, Rex couldn't find himself to even answer. He was too stunned as it all came back to him. He especially couldn't answer because Derrick shot him a look before having to get rid of it quickly because his dad was still glaring at him.

"Who the hell was driving that semi truck I saw you get out of last night, Rex Rory?!" Jeffery demanded, raising his voice very loud in the room.

Again, Rex froze, completely stunned. He couldn't believe this. His uncle had been awake when Magnus gave him a ride home?! Oh, boy. He could only think. Derrick was in so much shit and even he realized that. He knew very well that there was going to be a lot of hell that day.

"P-Pa! What are you talking about?! I ga-gave Rex a ride......" Derrick tried to say, trying to get out of trouble.

"Bull shit, Derrick! You think I'm a complete idiot?! You're drunk as a skunk and you just barely got home! There is no way in hell that you gave Rex a ride home last night! I saw him get out of a semi truck at One o'clock this morning! You were not driving that truck!! You don't even know how to drive a truck! Your car is an Automatic! Semi trucks aren't!" Jeffery yelled at the top of his lungs, causing everyone to cringe. His grip even tightened on Derrick's shirt, almost making it harder for him to breathe now. "Now you tell the truth! Right! Now! Who the hell gave you a ride home, Rex?!"

His nerves rather shot, Rex opened his mouth to answer but no words could come out. He didn't know how to tell his uncle that an alien robot had given him a ride home. He didn't know what to say.

And because he didn't answer, Jeffery's face darkened before he shoved away from Derrick, still remaining dangerously close to his 21 year old son. He looked ready to throw a fist at him and no one could really find the will to stop him. "All right. Don't answer that question. Answer this one." He said dangerously before finally looking over at his nephew. "Did you at least enjoy the Monster truck rally?"

The way he had said it though was almost sarcastic. It was almost as if he already knew that Rex didn't even go.

Again, Rex couldn't answer but stare at his uncle. He was almost a little too afraid to answer that question. He knew that Derrick was in a lot of trouble. He mostly just hoped that he wasn't in trouble for not going to the truck rally, even though he was the one who had been cheated out of it.

There was a very long silence within the room while Jeffery's eyes only darkened. He realized it anyway. There was no words that needed to be spoken. He just knew what really happened that night. It was very obvious as he turned his dark eyes onto his oldest child and glared even harder at him. He didn't even look like he cared when Derrick cringed almost in fear from his father. "Derrick," Jeffery Rory began, his voice very dark. "I want you to go upstairs to your room and pack everything. I want you out of this house today."

And then Jeffery headed straight for the door.

"Pa! Bu-but.....I didn't do.......! What are you.....?!" Derrick tried to argue.

Jeffery whirled around with his hand yanking the front door open with a smashing thud, glaring even harder at his son. "I left you in charge of Rex, Derrick! You were suppose to take him to the truck rally! You were suppose to watch him! But you failed to do that! And I know you didn't take Rex to the Monster Truck rally because Charles Wendels just told me that he and his son went to the rally last night and didn't see Rex there! Now, as the consequences for not doing what I asked you to do, you are no longer welcome on my farm! I don't want your help with the chores! I just want you gone! It's time for you to grow up and get your own place, Derrick!" He yelled at him before he was out the door, slamming it hard that nearly all of the window panels in the house rattled.

No one spoke for a very long time. No one could. All four of the remaining room's occupants were almost shaking from the confrontation.

It wasn't until the High school bus outside honked for Terra and Rex did they snap out of the shocked thoughts. Terra immediately bolted up from her chair and rushed for the door, grabbing her jacket and back pack. But Rex's eyes quickly flickered over to his still shocked cousin, who slowly turned his head and looked directly back at him.

That look that Derrick gave him scared Rex to death.

Derrick's eyes were very dark with drunken fury but he did not move at all as he just glared at his younger cousin. He looked like he just wanted to rush over and throttle the life out of him. "Thanks a lot, Rex." He hissed dangerously before he stormed out of the room, shoving hard against Rex and making him stumble against the door frame.

"Derrick!" Jan yelled after her son before she was hurrying after him, sparing Rex a mere glance.

Rex just stood against the door frame, his head lowered and his breathing rather hitched. He didn't think he would ever have felt so afraid in his life. He was more afraid than he had been of Magnus when he first met him. He couldn't even stop himself from trembling as he followed after Terra when the bus honked loudly to get his attention.

* * *

All day long, Rex was rather shaken by the early morning's events. He couldn't believe things were spiraling out of control. He couldn't get the images of Jeffery and Derrick squaring off and the look that his cousin had given him. He couldn't even get the look that Jan had given him out of his head. She hadn't looked angry like her husband had been or like Derrick had been. She actually had looked terrified. It was a look that Rex hadn't really seen before but he understood it. She was terrified for a few reasons. She was terrified for him and her family. Her family was starting to fall apart and all Rex could do was feel terrible guilt swirling around inside of him. He felt as if it was his fault.

It was all day long that Rex thought about it. He didn't even seem to notice anything that happened around him. A few times the teachers had called for him to answer a question but he just stared blankly at his paper, not saying a word. He didn't even notice that people had stared at him. He didn't even notice that Terra was crying to her friends, telling all of them about what happened that morning. He didn't even notice the dark looks that Montgomery and his friends shot him for upsetting her. Rex just stared off, lost in his troubled thoughts.

Even at lunch, Rex stared off, not noticing that someone was walking up to him from behind.

"You look troubled."

The voice startled Rex so badly that he literately jumped and spilt some of his soda on his pants. He hadn't even been expecting someone to even say anything to him. More or less, he didn't really recognize that voice either.

Spinning around, he froze when he saw the tall man just standing there, staring down at him. He was much taller than Rex that was for sure. He could have stood at six feet tall with dirty blonde hair. He was wearing a red flannel shirt and blue jeans with an additional black trucker's hat. Just glancing him over, Rex spied that he was wearing cowboy boots too. This man, without a doubt, was a trucker. But it was his deep blue eyes that intrigued the young teen the most. They were so deep blue, almost the color of a bluebird. He had seen a lot of blue eyes before but none that looked like they were somewhat glowing.

Narrowing his eyes suspiciously at the man, Rex studied him again, trying to figure out who he was. It only took a moment to even notice that on the hat, it was clear as daylight. It read Mag instead of Mack.

Startled, Rex looked past the man and saw that large red Mack parked off on the far side of the school parking lot, well away from the other vehicles. But still, he couldn't believe it as he looked back at the man, who was now raising an eyebrow at him and smirking down at him. The man obviously thought that it was amusing by how Rex was gawking at him.

"Ma-Magnus?!" Rex found himself stammer in shock as he stared at him.

A wide grin spread out on the man's face before he offered him a wink. "I got my holographic molecular imager working, which is good. I don't have to keep stopping whenever someone actually looks at me and sees that I don't have a driver." He said to him only.

Climbing to his feet, Rex looked the man over again, still stunned. He couldn't believe this. The Autobot could take a human form?! "What the hell......?!" He found himself burst out.

Again, the man grinned, as well chuckled as he folded his somewhat brawny arms across his wide chest and tilted his head to the side. "Hmm. I find your reaction very amusing, youngling. But I suppose it is acceptable. You did not know that we can produce a holographic molecular image, taking on a human form that allows us to blend in easily within your world. It's an invention that that techno nut, Hound came up with." He then shrugged before dropping his arms to his side. "Anyhow, does this human image suit me? I tried to come up with the perfect human look that matched my own persona." He stated.

Rex looked him over again before nodding. This human look did suit Magnus pretty well. He couldn't imagine how he would look as a human. But question was, why? "Wha-what are you doing here?" He asked, still un-nerved to see a human version of Ultra Magnus. He couldn't help but think that he kind of looked like Sean Bean.

"I came to see if you managed to get those directions you said you were going to get." Magnus said simply.

A few blinks and a blank stare later, Rex groaned as he dropped his head into his one good hand, cursing himself. He couldn't believe it. He had completely forgotten about his promise to getting directions to where ever Magnus needed to go. But then again, he still didn't know where he needed to go. "Oh, sorry, Magnus! I completely forgot! It's just....you didn't really tell me where you needed to go." He told him.

Magnus just hummed thoughtfully before chuckling. "I suppose you're right. I didn't tell you." He then frowned, looking Rex over as if he realized something. "I'm sensing that you're still troubled. Did something happen?" He asked curiously.

Rex paused for a moment to think about it. He wasn't sure if he should tell his new acquaintance about that morning but then figured that it didn't matter. So with a shrug, he dipped his head into a nod, looking pretty forlorn. "My uncle found out that you gave me a ride." He quickly shook his head when Magnus' eyes lit up, looking a little too concerned. "He doesn't know about the real you! He just.......he's really pissed off at Derrick for not taking me to the truck rally and just leaving me in the middle of the night." He told him quickly.

Frowning, Magnus slowly nodded as he folded his arms again. He had a rather serious look on his face at the very thought. "You're 'uncle' as you say has every right to be upset. You are a youngling, Rex. Your 'cousin' was suppose to take care of you and he did not do as he was told. A soldier who does not follow specific instructions, especially dealing with younglings shall be punished rightfully so." He said, sounding more like a drill sergeant now.

With a grimace but a slight smile, Rex shook his head. "Yeah, I guess so. But still.....I feel like I'm tearing my family apart." He sighed, looking away. "Every since I came here, no one's been.....welcoming to me. I feel like a complete outsider whose interfering with other people's lives. No one seems to like me or even care if I existed or not. Maybe I should have died with my parents." He murmured. "People would be better off."

There was a very long silence between the two before Magnus suddenly reached out and grabbed Rex's shoulder, startling him. He had a rather stern look on his face and that surprised him even more. For a long moment, Magnus looked stern but then his face softened and he gave the young teen a faint smile. "Then who would have helped me find my comrades if you had died?"

A little surprised by his words, Rex stared at him almost stunned. But as he thought about it, he had to smile, even if it was faint. And the trucker returned it.

"Hey, Stumpy! Freak with the one arm!"

Rex flinched at the harsh names that Montgomery continually called him since he even arrived at the school. He couldn't even stop the groan from escaping as he turned and shot the voice's owner a dark glare. "What do you want, Montgomery?!" He growled.

Montgomery and his pep squad didn't even spare Magnus a look as they approached Rex. They just sneered at the young teen, not noticing him at all. They didn't even notice the stern look they were getting from the Autobot's human form. "So, I hear that you've totaled the Rory family's relationship. Terra's told me that you got her father so pissed off at Derrick Rory that he's banished him from living there." The jock sneered before folding his arms. "So how does it feel to have ruined a happy family, Stumpy? How does it feel to know that you're tearing a good family apart because you even exist........?" He was saying.

"Tell me." Magnus suddenly spoke up, interrupting what Montgomery was saying. Either way, the jocks finally noticed him and stepped back in alarm especially when he was giving then a look as if he wanted to blow them to pieces. "How do you think that it will feel when I kick across the parking lot?"

"Who the hell are you?" Montgomery demanded, narrowing his eyes at the 'man' standing before them.

Magnus smiled a rather dangerous smile that would have even sent a chill down Rex's back if he had not spared him a quick glance and a wink before returning to glare at the jocks before them. Rex knew very well that Magnus had sworn not to hurt humans because of his leader's orders. But that didn't mean he couldn't scare a few human jackasses instead. Folding his brawny arms across his wide chest, Magnus took a few steps towards the jocks, starting to tower over them. His size even made the jocks cringe back, realizing that this guy was much bigger than they were.

If only they knew how much bigger Magnus really was, Rex thought to himself, almost grinning evilly.

"The name is Magnus, a Commander of a Special Ops Strike team. And I know many ways of how to kill a man with just my bare hands. Care to find out one of those ways?" He threw his head towards Rex, not tearing his eyes away from Montgomery at all but keeping that dangerous smile on his face. "If I see bothering my little friend here again, I just might give you a lesson of an aft kicking."

"Are you.....are you threatening me?!" Montgomery demanded, though his voice was trembling as he quickly took several steps back away.

Again with that dangerous smile, Magnus' head dipped down lower, making him look even more threatening. "I don't know. What do you think? Do you think I'm threatening you? Shall we take a guess if I was or shall we just see what happens in the next three seconds when I lay you flat on the ground like a sparkworm?" He asked, almost like a challenge.

Immediately, Montgomery and his goons were scampering away as fast as they could, not wanting to see if the crazy trucker was being serious or not. They didn't even look back as they ran.

Together, Rex and Magnus barked with laughter as they watched the group of boys run away. It really was a funny sight to see as they put the Track team to shame of the way they were running. But after a moment, the young teenager looked up at the chuckling man beside him. "You were kidding, right? You don't really know how to kill a man with your bare hands? I mean.....sure you could easily step on them but can you really.....?" He asked, in awe.

Sparing a dangerous smile to the teenager and making his own smile falter, Magnus started to laugh again. "Yes, I do know how to kill a mech with my bare hands. I've done it quite a few times to a bunch of Cons. But as I told you before, I'm not allowed to harm humans. So it was an empty threat." He shrugged when Rex smiled again. "Besides, to harm a sparkling or a youngling, it's the greatest shame that any Cybertronian could place upon their selves. Even some Decepticons don't harm what you would call children."

"I'm not a child." Rex said crinkling his nose at Magnus.

"Hmm." Magnus hummed thoughtfully, dropping his arms down to his side. "Considering your age, you are still a youngling, Rex. It is the human age of twelve that you stop being a Sparkling. But it is the human age of 18 years that you stop being a youngling. After you turn 18 human years, you will be considered Botling. A young adult in human terms. At the human years of 21, you will be a full grown mech. Or man in your human terms. You still have a few years to go, youngling. Don't feel offended. It just means that you will have a Bot looking after you better." He told him as he reached over and ruffled Rex's hair.

A beat skipped in Rex's heart as shoved Magnus' hand away, laughing quietly. For only a brief moment, when Magnus had done that, he saw his father, Quinn messing up his hair again. Just like he used to. Then he frowned remembering something that Magnus had just said. "Hey, Magnus?" He paused for a second, catching the Autobot's attention again. "What's a sparkworm?"

Magnus only chuckled, shaking his head.

The day went by smoothly after the little confrontation between Magnus and Montgomery. Especially for Rex. The jocks and most of the school started to leave the young teen alone after hearing what happened. Most of them believed that Rex had hired some kind of body guard to defend him from all of the jerks in the school. So no one dared to make fun of him in fear that they would get pummeled.

He even found out that a sparkworm was some kind of robotic bug that lived on Cybertron. According to Magnus, they were rather nasty and tended to attach their selves to Cybertronians while they slept and suck up Energon. He made it sound like leeches though and he even stated that sparkworms were similar, only much bigger and nastier.

And it was all good and dandy for Rex.

After talking a little more with Magnus, he learned that in the general area that the Mack was trying to get to was in Nevada. He didn't know exactly where in Nevada that he needed to go but it was in that state that the other Autobots were hiding out. So basically, Rex printed out a map of the United States and marked all of the highways that could help Magnus reach Nevada without any problems.

After school, Rex didn't catch the bus home. He, actually, caught a ride with Magnus, who had offered. So once again, he found himself sitting in the passenger seat, smiling as the Mack truck drove him home. This time, Magnus had activated his human form so that they didn't get pulled over or anything.

Along the way, Rex couldn't help himself but ask questions.

"So, you're a Commander of a strike team, right? Not the leader?" Rex asked, curiously as he glanced over at the man in the driver's seat.

Magnus' human form just shook his head as he watched the road ahead of him, just to play the part right. He only merely glanced over at Rex a few times as he just kept going down the road. "Nope. Not the leader. I almost was once, but the Matrix of Leadership, an energy source of great power didn't choose me as the next Prime. It chose my younger brother, Optimus Minor, whose is now Optimus Prime. Each Autobot Leader that is chosen by the Matrix will possess the name of Prime, which is also a name from our Creator, Primus. It was Primus, our God, who created the Matrix of Leadership and the All Spark as tools to aid Cybertron to become a bigger, brighter world. They are also what we use to create life on Cybertron. Although, there have been some Pure born Cybertronians, meaning they do have a mech and femme creator. They are very rare though. It's not often that Cybertronian parents are given the gift of creating Sparklings. As it is, because of the war, our femme Cybertronians are rather scarce." He explained.

Rex frowned over at him. "Um....meaning?" He asked quietly.

A huge sigh was released from both human form and the truck as he thought about it. "Meaning, females on our planet are dying out. We do not have very many females left on Cybertron. The war has been very harsh on the femme race of the Cybertronians. It has been a very terrible war and a lot of femmes have been killed off." Magnus explained. "To even have a femme is a gift. We, the Autobot mechs, the Cybertronian males, try to protect them as much as possible to preserve our future. There are not many femmes on the Decepticons' side, fortunately. Most femmes are Autobot warrioresses, which we call Valkyries among our troops."

That made sense. So onto the next question from Rex. "Okay. So......your brother, the Autobot Leader, Optimus Prime. What's he like? You guys must be pretty tight, right? I mean, you're close, right?"

The disgusted groan that escaped Magnus told Rex otherwise. He almost winced to even hear that. "Ah, slag no. Optimus can very irritatingly noble. It drives me nuts that he became the Prime when I'm clearly older and more stronger than him." Magnus growled, his human teeth clenched. "Although, he is a very well skilled soldier on the battle field. He is nearly the only one who can stand a chance against Megatron in battle. Even myself has a hard time fighting that Pitspawn." He grumbled.

Rex had to fight back a laugh, not wanting to let Magnus realize that it was him he was laughing at. He couldn't help but think that Ultra Magnus might have been just a little jealous of his younger brother because he was the leader. But it was probably best if he didn't say anything. There wasn't really too much to talk about during the ride home, although Rex had a lot of questions he wanted to ask Magnus about his world. But seeing that he was nearly home, he knew it was time to call it quits. He would think up more questions to ask the next day.

That night, however, was pretty tense.

Derrick was no longer living in the house, after being kicked out. He had packed up all of his things like Jeffery had told him to and took off. Rex wasn't even sure where he was now. But he sure was not at the dinner table by supper time.

Throughout the entire night, no one spoke a single word while they ate. It was like there was a heavy cloud hovering right over the table, weighing everyone down. Rex glanced up a few times, looking around at his relatives but he couldn't say anything because they looked so.....gloomy. Well, actually, Uncle Jeffery still looked fairly pissed off but he didn't meet Rex's eyes. Aunt Jan wouldn't look up at him either and that was what really had a twist of guilt within his heart. It was Terra that met Rex's eyes a few times when he glanced up at her. And truth be told, he did not like the look in her eyes. She looked infuriated with him. She just had that dangerous look in her eyes warning Rex that she was blaming him for all of this.

After dinner, Rex tried to figure out a way to talk to his uncle and aunt about what happened the night before. He even offered to help clean the dishes but Jan wouldn't hear anything of it. She just smiled at him faintly before sending him upstairs to get ready for bed.

It was after his aunt and uncle went to bed did he climb out his window and sit on the roof, staring up at the stars. It was the only time he managed to feel some peace since he got home from school that day. He hated the fact that things weren't going too well since coming to Alabama. He felt like he was causing a lot of problems for his remaining family. Since he had gotten there, his relatives seemed to be really tense around each other and his cousins hated him more than ever. And now.....his aunt and uncle seemed to not be getting along at all.

Drawing up his knees to his chest, Rex dropped his head onto them, cursing his life, once again. He was really starting to wish that there was any way that he could make it up to his relatives. His aunt and uncle may have had a few harsh punishments for some of the broken rules he had done, but they also had been very kind to him. They had let him come to live with them, even though Uncle Jeff had not liked his own younger brother or his wife. He had allowed him to come live with his family. And now, things were going wrong. Horribly, terribly wrong.

**"I see you're troubled again." **

Startled, Rex jerked his head up and looked around only to look down to see that the big red Mack had somehow rolled quietly up to the house. He had turned off his engine to keep from making so much noise and was just sitting there. "Magnus." The young teen said quietly.

Magnus sat there for a moment before the door open and his hologram stepped out. He merely glanced up at Rex before climbing up onto his own hood and up onto the roof. Once up there, he sank down to sit right beside the boy, letting his feet dangle over the porch roof edge. "So, do I dare to ask what happened this time?" He asked, quietly, looking up at the night sky.

Rex just brought one knee up to his chest again and rest his chin on it. He let his head wobble back and forth into a shake as a sigh escaped from him. "Things aren't going so good here. Since last night, everyone's been really quiet. They won't say anything, but I know that it's my fault that things are falling apart in their family." He muttered.

"It's not your fault, Rex." Magnus spoke up, his tone just a little stern. "Your relative abandoned you. Your family should be angry because he did not fulfill his responsibility for you." He then lightly nudged Rex's arm to get him to look at his human form. "Why do you always think it's your fault?"

Shaking his head once he lift it off his knee, Rex looked directly into Magnus' eyes. "Because it is. Ever since my parents were killed and I lost my stupid left arm and coming here, they've always been so tense around me and each other. I can't.....I can't even do anything right. I try but I can't do the chores like they do because I have only one arm and I'm really not that strong and......" He sighed in frustration. "No one at school likes me because I'm just a one armed freak. It's like they all have to pity me because I'm a one armed orphan who's from the city and....." He cut himself off before dropping his head onto his knee.

There was a very long silence between the two before Magnus turned his blue eyes back up to look up at the stars. He sat there for a moment, thinking of how to piece his words. "You remind me of Optimus." He began, surprising Rex. "Back on Cybertron, Optimus had a very difficult time adjusting to things. It was before he became the Prime, too. He was a Space Bridge Builder, a scientist. True, he was a very good soldier on the field but his specialties were in science. When the war began, he tried to think of many ways to be useful." He chuckled, shaking his head. "Oh, he was very useful, indeed. He was a great warrior with his fire blade. But he just did not have enough confidence in himself. It actually took a Decepticon Seeker named Jetfire to show him that he's more a warrior than anyone in the Autobot ranks." He paused to meet Rex's eyes, smiling faintly. "Jetfire might be a Decepticon now, but he's not loyal to them or even Megatron. I respect him very much as a warrior. He serves on the Autobots' side, though he claims to be a Decepticon. He's a Legend on Cybertron for his vast military strategies and skills as a fighter jet. He serves the Autobots only because of Optimus."

"But.......? What did Jetfire do to make Optimus see the real him?" Rex asked frowning.

Magnus looked at Rex for only a brief moment before looking up at the stars. "He made it very clear to Optimus that anyone who was as brave as my kid brother was, and loyal to his comrades, he was worthy of becoming Prime. Optimus would literately jump in front of a missile just to protect his friends. I've seen him do it too. Many times." He shrugged, looking back into Rex's eyes. "It took Jetfire's words and Megatron killing the former Prime, Sentinel Prime and nearly killing his femme-friend, Elita One for Optimus to accept his responsibility as the Prime. And for many hundreds of years now, he's been doing one Pit of a job. He's got more Decepticons terrified of his aft than I ever did." He told him, chuckling.

Even Rex had to laugh a little to think of that. He felt like he really wanted to meet this Optimus Prime some day. Still, he lowered his gaze. "Yeah. But I bet you that Optimus doesn't have one arm." He murmured.

"No. He doesn't. But he didn't have any confidence in himself until the right moment." Magnus said, smiling glancing at Rex again. "Trust me, youngling. Some time, maybe in the near future, you'll get the confidence in yourself. Just trust yourself. One day, you may show all of these people here that you're not just some one armed orphan who can't do anything right. I mean, you're helping me, aren't you?" He asked, grinning at him.

Rex laughed again looking at him. "Yeah. But I'm still questioning myself if that's the right thing to do or not. No offense." He told him.

"None taken. If I were in your place, I would be hesitant about helping someone like myself. You don't know what I'm capable of and I'm hoping that I don't have to show you someday." Magnus told him before leaning back on his palms. "Speaking of which, there has been one thing that was bothering me since I first saw you. Why hasn't your medical officer found your arm and repaired you yet?"

The smile slowly faded from Rex's face but he still kept a soft look in his eyes as he looked away from the human form of the Autobot. If it were anyone else asking that question, he would have gotten upset and angry. But it wasn't. He kind of figured that Magnus might ask that question sometime. He had been waiting for it. "He can't. Once a human loses a limb, there's really no way to repair it." He said quietly. "We're not like an alien robot or Cybertronian, like you. There's no repairing it. So I'll won't be very useful for the rest of my life."

"I don't think you're useless. You've been useful to me." Magnus remarked, nudging Rex's arm again.

Again, Rex smiled faintly but looked up at his new found friend almost gratefully. He was just glad that he was actually being useful. "Thanks, Magnus. I'm glad you think that." He told him.

Magnus shrugged before leaning back farther, still staring up at the stars. "I don't know you too well, Rex, but I'm usually a good judge of character. You're a good youngling. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise. Just keep your chin up, gain some confidence in yourself and you will be just fine." He told him.

Rex smiled at Magnus again before leaning back on his right arm. He almost lost his balance though and toppled over. But to his surprise, Magnus leaned over and let the young teen regain his balance on his hand, using his own shoulder. And again, for the second, or third time since he came to Brewton, he felt happy. He was starting to realize, he might actually have a friend since the tragedy. And he felt grateful for it.


	8. Chapter 8 The Short Party

**Title: **Big Bad and Red

**Genre: **Action/Drama/Friendship

**Rating: **T for some strong language, some violence, mild adult content, some crude humor.

**Summary: **Sixteen year old, city slicking orphan child, Rex Rory lives in Alabama and he has only one arm. What else can go wrong? Oh.....yeah. He just met a huge alien robot that turns into a big, temperamental, red Mack semi truck.

* * *

**~Chapter Eight~**

_The Short Party_

* * *

If there was one thing that she did not tolerate at all, without any patience at all, it was the fact that some of the male population could be pigs. She hated it when a bunch thought that she was some small, defenseless woman who constantly needed protection from any danger. More or less, she simply loathed that some men were so sexist that they thought they had the right to check out her ass when they walked past her.

And that was why, Agent Cole slammed Agent Freddricks into the wall, pinning his arm behind his back.

"Freddricks! If I catch you staring at my ass one more time, I'm going to take your eyes out of your empty head and serve them to you for lunch! If you even think about reaching out and brushing your hand against my ass one more time, I'm going to snap it off at the wrist and shove it up your.......!" She was saying.

"Cole!" barked out a man's voice, catching her attention.

Agent Cole, a rather young but beautifully deadly woman with deep reddish brown hair, looked up to see who was reprimanding her for being violent against a fellow Agent. She was not surprised to see Agent Sean making his way down the hall towards her, wearing a mask of disapproval. His eyes were what gave it out that he found that this was hilarious. Everyone in their department knew that Cole did not have tolerance for men like Freddricks, who had a real nasty reputation for hitting on beautiful women like Cole.

Now if only he remembered all the times that Cole had no problem slamming him to the ground like she was doing now for his sexist remarks and sexually harassments he did to her.

Rolling her eyes, Cole shoved herself off of Freddricks, ignoring his painful swearing as he brought his twisted arm to in front of him, rubbing his shoulder where it had been strained. She just stepped back several feet and folded her arms across her chest, giving the approaching Agent a dry stare.

Sean stopped right next to her, looking from her to Freddricks, who looked both angry and humiliated. He looked back and forth between the two for a moment before stopping his eyes onto Freddricks. "Fred, how many times are you going to let this happen? When are you going to get it through your head that you have got to stop pissing Cole off? One day, she's going to rip your arm out of its socket and I'm not going to be here......" He was saying.

"Oh, shut it, Pretty Boy!" snarled Freddricks before he turned and stormed away, not bothering to look back or say anything else.

Chortling only a little, Sean turned and placed his eyes onto the young woman next to him, raising his eyebrow at her. "You're welcome, Cole. But the next time you want to beat the hell out of......" He was saying but once again interrupted.

Again, Cole rolled her eyes and turned away from Sean. "You heard Freddricks, Sean. Shut it! I didn't ask for you to jump in and save Freddricks' ass from me so you can save my ass from getting into trouble with Hollander for beating up one of his Agents. Again!" She remarked bitterly.

"You're welcome, Cole." Sean snickered as he walked right beside her.

Agent Cole, like everyone else in the Department, was only known by her name. No one was known by their full name for security reasons. As it was, Cole was not exactly her name. But it was the name she demanded everyone to call her by, though Sean was the only one who actually knew her name. It was due to the fact that he was too smart for his own good and he went hacking. It was lucky for his own sake that Cole didn't decide to go hacking him, in the brutal way.

As for the Department they were in, that's all it was called. There was no real name, no real destination for it, no anything. Not even the Government knew much about it. Its cover up name was the Bank of Indiana, so that was all that any Government officials knew about it.

So anyone who did find out about this Department, they sure had a wild guess about where it was located.

As for Cole, herself, she was one of the Agents of whatever they did. There were a lot of secrets in this Department that even she didn't know about. She just did what she was told, when she was told and did it without questions. She had already found out what happened when someone went asking questions that they weren't suppose to ask. She still felt really bad that she talked Agent Quincee into asking that question that cost his life in the Department. He wasn't dead, as many thought he might be. He was just.....retired. No one really knew what that word really meant in the Department but no one wanted to know.

For a few years now, Cole had been an agent. She was one of the youngest in the herd or flock or whatever Sean always called them. But she was also one of the toughest. A lot of the Agents didn't bother messing around with her. She had a temper to go with her red hair and the skills to knock a full grown man out in three seconds flat. She was no older than 29 years old, though, she looked much younger. She was shorter than most of the agents but her 5'5" didn't mean squat when it came to her martial arts skills. She was a very beautiful young Agent, though many of the men in the Department stated that she was the most beautiful out of the female population they worked with. She had nearly brick red hair, falling into wavy curls around her shoulders. Her form, as many men had admitted, was a perfect shape of an hour glass. They just didn't dare tell her that. But it was her eyes that were the loveliest, if not the deadliest. They were dark brown and always glaring at men. It was those eyes that caught many of them in her snare before she kicked someone in the head with her slender, dancer's legs.

Which was why, Agent Sean kept his remarks to himself. He had never been on the end of Cole's wraith and he planned to keep it that way. But he silently admired her when she wasn't looking. It was probably why he was nearly the only one that she got along with in the Department.

"So, I heard Hollander's sending us on a mission." Sean remarked as he stuffed his hands into his smoky gray khakis.

"What makes you think you're going with me to check out the hot spot?" Cole asked her tone icy and venomous as always.

Sean glanced sideward at her, grinning slyly. "Two reasons. One, you don't work with anyone but me and you don't complain too much about it. And two, Hollander said so. And if he said that I have to work as your partner, again, then I say that I have to go. Besides, you don't care if I go anyway. I'm the only one you haven't kicked in the ass yet." He told her, smartly.

Narrowing her deadly brown eyes at him, Cole shook her head. "Keep that remark up, Sean, and that will change very quickly." She hissed, earning a chuckle from him.

"Ah, don't say it like that, Cole. You know you love me." Sean had to duck when she swung her fist at him. He just laughed, keeping a few feet distance away from her now. "So, where's the hot spot anyway? Where did it land?"

Cole shrugged, tearing her bitter gaze away from him. "Somewhere in the South, close to the Gulf of Mexico. The techs believe it might have landed either in the Alabama state or Georgia. We're to find it and bring it in. Hollander wants it ASAP. Let's just hope this one doesn't put up a fight like the last one did." She remarked, though she didn't sound too convincing.

And Sean knew that because he started laughing. "Cole, my friend, that's the only reason why you go after these creatures." He told her. He was ignored by her.

* * *

Things still hadn't changed very much since the day before. Rex learned that as soon as he got up for that morning, only to find how quiet his relatives were being. His aunt and uncle did not say a word as they ate breakfast and Terra remained glaring at Rex when she saw him enter the room. He did his best to ignoring her though. He just ate his breakfast and made his way out to the bus when it came to pick them up.

Now getting to school, that was very much different. Rex hadn't been expecting what would happen once he got off the bus with everyone. He hadn't been expecting a very pissed off Derrick waiting right by the door. He was still lost in his thoughts, feeling guilt inside of him for what was going on at home and still feeling only a spark of pride inside for helping Magnus that he didn't realize that his cousin was approaching him.

And no one stopped Derrick Rory from grabbing Rex by the jacket, no doubt startling him and dragging him to the side of the building where he shoved him hard against the wall, knocking the air out of him.

"Derrick!" Rex gasped painfully as he found himself pinned against the wall and staring wide eyed up at his cousin.

Derrick just glared at him, keeping a very close distance between them and ignoring some prying eyes. He didn't even care if anyone saw him. They wouldn't say anything if they knew what was good for them. He just glared darkly at Rex, keeping him tightly pinned against the brick wall. "You son of bitch, Rex! You little son of a whore! Didn't I tell you not tell my ma and pa that I dropped you off at the movie theatre?" He demanded. "Now, because of you, I have to stay in a fucking motel until I can find my own place! And I'm facing an inquiry at work! I was going to be the youngest sheriff ever made and now, I'm not gong to get it!"

"I......I di-didn't tell on you, Derrick! I swear!" Rex cried out, completely freaked out. He didn't want to see what else his cousin was going to do to him. Whatever it was, no one else would know about it, even if there were quite a few observers. He saw a rather surprised Terra standing off with some of her friends. He even saw Sally May standing there, pale and looking terrified.

"Bullshit! How did they find out then?" Derrick demanded, his grip tightening on Rex's shirt. He then shook his head, and pulling back a little just to shove him against the wall again, ignoring the fact that he smacked the back of his head. "Never mind! I don't care! I already warned you what would happen, Rex! I am going to make you look so bad that you will not be allowed in any store because no one will want anything to do with you! It's not like your parents haven't already! Did anyone ever tell you why my dad hates yours? Do you know why?" He almost yelled into Rex's face.

The only answer Rex dared to give was shaking his head. He didn't dare to open his mouth to say anything.

Derrick laughed harshly into his face and leaned closer to him, glaring directly into his eyes. "It was because of your slut mother! Uncle Quinn was engaged to another woman when he met her! He was supposed to marry my father's best friend's sister! She had been looking so forward to marrying Quinn and then your fucking slut mother showed up like a Siren and stole his heart away! My father's friend's sister was left at the Alter because Uncle Quinn left her for your mother! She committed suicide in front of her family!" He snapped. "Dad's friend wanted to kill your old man for what happened to her! But Dad stood up for Quinn and then lost his best friend! People looked down on him for standing up for Quinn! And it's all your fucking whore mother's fault!"

"Do-don't talk about my mother like that! She is not a whore!" Rex found enough courage to snap back.

Again, Derrick slammed him into the wall, making him cry out in pain. "Do you think anyone is nice to you because you're just a kid, Rex? Because you're just some orphan trash that moved in with our family? No! Everyone is nice to you because they feel bad for you! Everyone in this town feels bad for you, little shit! But soon, I'm going to make everyone hate. Your. Guts!" He hissed nastily.

Suddenly, out of no where, someone grabbed Derrick from behind and yanked him away from Rex, forcing him to let him go. Even the young teen jumped when someone interfered but was more stunned when he saw who it was. A second later after getting yanked away from Rex, it was Derrick's turn to get slammed into the wall and pinned there. The young deputy looked wide eyed up into those glaring blue eyes of the man who trapped him against the school wall. He had never seen this man before but those eyes nearly paralyzed him by their strange glowing fury.

"If I ever see you hurt this boy again," Magnus snarled into Derrick's face, looking dangerously into his wide eyes. "I will break my vows to harming to humans just to teach you a lesson, Pitspawn!"

Rex stared up in shock at Magnus, stunned that he had even been there and had even threatened to harm a human. More or less, what he had just said. He just leaned against the wall, watching in shock as a lot of other students were. He didn't even feel any gratitude for Magnus saving his ass again. He just stared.

"Who the hell do you think you.......?" Derrick started to snap back but stopped when those blue eyes took on a more glow within them, startling him.

Magnus just tightened his own grip on Derrick's shirt, narrowing his eyes dangerously at him. "I am someone you do not want to frag with, you worthless piece of flesh! I am not a Con but I will not allow you to hurt a youngling like this boy! I am the one who gave him a ride home before something terrible could happen to him!" He hissed at him. "And you know very well what kind of danger could have befallen upon him if I had not picked him up! You are a law enforcer and you broke your own laws by abandoning Rex in the middle of the night where there is something called a Serial Child Murderer loose!"

His words stunned even Rex, making him start a little before narrowing his eyes in confusion. He wasn't sure if he just heard Magnus right. Did he honestly just say that there was a Child Murderer in the area? He wasn't going to ask just yet but just watch what the holographic human version of the Autobot do next.

Surprisingly, Derrick didn't remark but looked stunned himself before huffing in defeat and nodding. He raised his hands as if surrendering to Magnus.

For a moment, Magnus didn't move to let him go but continue glaring at him. He didn't even let him go as he took a step back away from him, still glaring at the young deputy. "Now, you better apologize to this boy before I report your aft to your superiors and risk exposure." He warned darkly.

Derrick froze for a second, looking at him as if asking if he was serious. But even he realized that this man was deadly serious. So he glanced over at Rex and nodded once, still looking like he just shit himself. "I'm......I'm sorry, Rex." He forced himself to say.

Finally, Magnus let him go, not gently shoving him away. He just moved side wards to stand right next to Rex, giving him a sharp nod for Derrick to take off. He wasn't going to leave the younger boy's side until his shithead cousin was out of sight. The dark look in his eyes even told the deputy to get the hell out of there before he did anything else. So he booked it for his car, silently cursing the strange blonde haired trucker guy.

After Derrick got into his cruiser and sped out of the parking lot, Magnus shot anyone else who had been watching a look and immediately people began scurrying away. He continued to glare at anyone until he and Rex were nearly the only ones standing there. Only then did he look over at Rex, who was leaning against the wall, clutching at his shirt with his hand. He was still trembling after that bitter confrontation but he looked all right. Still, Magnus had to make sure. He looked Rex over before meeting his eyes. "Are you all right, Rex?" He asked a little gruffly.

Shakily, Rex bobbed his head into a nod. His heart was racing in his chest but he didn't feel hurt. His head might have ached a little from it hitting the wall but it wasn't in terrible pain and he knew he didn't have a concussion. Yet. "Ye-yeah. Thanks, Magnus." He said still trembling.

For a moment, both just stood in silence, trying to calm their nerves. Magnus pretty just stood over the young teen like a body guard, his arms folded over his chest as he waited for him to calm down.

But after about five minutes, Rex looked up at him, frowning. "Wh-what are you......?" He was asking.

"I was patrolling the area and I thought I'd come check up on you. Make sure none of those Pitspawns were bullying you again. Good thing too. Your so called relative looked like he was going to start hurting you." Magnus said, his tone very dark and dangerous. "That, I cannot allow."

Slowly, Rex nodded running a hand through his hair. He felt very grateful for Magnus being around at that time. He had been scared out of his mind of what might have happened. He was sure that Derrick was going to beat the shit out of him right then and there for getting him into trouble with his own father. But his words had left him hurting more than he might have physically. He had been wondering why his uncle hated his father. And now he knew.

Still, what Magnus had said to Derrick, it had him looking up at the holographic human. "You said.....you said something about a child murderer to Derrick. Wh-what did you mean by that?" He asked, frowning and confused.

Magnus shook his head as he glanced around for anything that he might not want to see but then he looked back at Rex. "I came across the report on what I believe called a radio station. They were announcing it late last night after I left your barracks. A youngling was found dead near a city called Monroeville. It's not very far from here at all. I didn't understand all of the details of the report until I looked up several keywords." He paused for only a moment as he looked back at a stunned Rex. "They called the attacker a Serial Child Molester and Murderer." He shook his head, his expression darkening at the words. "I didn't understand those words until I connected with the World Wide Web. We do not have such actions on our Planet. No Cybertronian would ever connect with a sparkling or youngling like that. There have been some sparkling killings before, but those were by accident. Not even Decepticons would do such a thing. But to merge with a Sparkling such as this Serial Child Molester," He snarled a metallic word that Rex did not even understand.

But either way, Rex now understood why his uncle had reacted as he had the day before. He understood why his aunt had looked so terrified. If Ultra Magnus had not came along and picked him up, there could have been a chance that the Serial killer might have. It made Rex shudder to think that might have happened.

"Damn. Looks like I really owe you one then, Magnus." Rex said, trying to force a smile. He really hoped that it would calm the big guy down a little. He didn't like that look in his eyes at all.

It worked.

Magnus looked at him, almost sternly but then his face softened and he returned the faint smile before dropping his arms at his sides. "Don't worry too much about it, Rex. I will not allow this Pitspawn to wander freely any longer." He then frowned thoughtfully but then forced a sigh. "Because of this confrontation, I may have to leave very soon. There will be trouble if I do not. I will need those directions soon. Maybe today." He then chuckled when Rex's face fell a little. "I will not leave for at least two more days. I think I will widen my patrol routes a little and see if I cannot find this endangerment to younglings."

Rex froze for a second before shaking his head. "You mean.....you're going to hunt down the Serial killer?" He asked, worriedly.

A brief nod from the man beside him made Rex's heart skip worriedly. "I do not want you to be in such danger, youngling. This threat must be mobilized immediately." Magnus told him but he forced a smile. "Do not fear for the man, Rex. I am still not allowed to harm a human even if he deserves it. I will capture only and then drop him off at a law enforcers' station. But I will make this place of inhabitance safer for you."

It could not be helped for Rex to smile. He couldn't believe that Magnus was actually going to hunt down some scumbag just to ensure his safety. He was actually trying to protect him from any harm. And for it, Rex felt more gratitude towards the alien robot. He knew very well that he wasn't going to like it when Magnus finally did leave Brewton to look for the other Autobots.

For the rest of the day, what happened with Derrick Rory and Rex and that strange man, it was quite the talk. Not many teachers found out about it or if they did, they didn't learn who had been involved. They had their own worries right at the moment as they made the announcements about the Serial Child killer. It bothered a lot of people and scared all of the students of the high school.

Rex didn't feel as scared as the entire school was. He actually felt safe. To know that Magnus was actually out there, wandering Alabama and trying to find out where this scumbag was, he felt safe. He actually felt the need to just relax and wait for the news to come in. He wasn't sure when it would come in but to know that Magnus was looking for the killer, he knew it would only be a matter of time.

In fact, in the very last class, Algebra II, it came in.

"Hey!" Some kid that Rex didn't even know his name exclaimed as he rushed into the class, getting a very stern look for it too. He ignored the teacher though as he looked around with excitement. "They caught the Serial Child Molester! They got him!"

Every student in the class jumped up and began demanding for answers. Rex remained sitting in his seat, looking surprised but a forced smile curled on his face as he just listened to what was being said. It was interesting enough to hear what Magnus had done to catch the guy. According to Tomas Reeds, the excited boy's name, it happened in Selma, a town just about fifty miles away from Brewton. No one even knew the full details other than that the Serial Killer had been thrown out of a very big red truck as it drove by the Police Station. Other than a few scrapes and the killer having actually pissed his pants as he blubbered about something very big grabbing him and shoving him into the truck, he was all right. He even admitted to his crimes out of fear that the thing might come back to finish him off.

Rex had to snicker into his hand at the thought of what the Killer might have seen. He could only imagine a big robot having been responsible from snatching him up and shoving him inside his own cab before driving to the authorities.

"Go, Magnus." He quietly cheered the Autobot.

Apparently, Sally May had heard because she turned and looked at him with a curious frown. He looked back at her with an innocent smile and shrug. It made her smile right back and shake her head.

After school let out and Rex was grabbing his things from his locker for the weekend, he was confronted by her again. He was surprised that she was actually looking around, as if trying to be sneaky about talking to him. But she ignored some looks she had gotten from people who had noticed and turned to him, pulling something out of her pocket. It was a folded up piece of paper.

"Rex, here's the invitation to my party." Sally May said, though keeping her voice low as she smiled at him. "It's at my house, of course. It's kind of a pool party so if you want, bring swimming shorts. But you don't have to swim if you want. Just come as you are."

Rex smiled faintly as he looked at the address on the paper before looking at her and shaking his head. "I can't swim. I mean I used to but..." He gave his left arm a bitter look and grimaced.

Sally only nodded with an understanding look as she glanced at his left arm. She was one of the few that Rex didn't care about looking at his arm. She didn't bother him as much as the others did. "Just come as you are then. I hope to see you there, Rex. Maybe we can talk." She told him before starting to turn away. She stopped herself though, frowning before looking back at him. "Rex, if you do come, please be careful."

And that was all she said, leaving him frowning in confusion. He didn't understand her warning but he had a feeling it might deal with Billy Montgomery. There was not a doubt in his mind that the bully wasn't going to be there. He knew that he would be. He just hoped that Montgomery and his goon squad would be having too much fun to bother with him.

He doubted it though.

Now to convince his aunt and uncle to let him to go to the party that was another thing that he needed to do. So getting home, Rex immediately went to them to see if there was anything he could do to help them.

"Uncle Jeffery," Rex immediately said as he found him out by the stables feeding the horses. He kept his distance away from his uncle though, still a little uneasy about how serious the man was looking right now. He knew that Jeffery had only been angry because of what his son had done. He didn't want to see if he was angry with him either. But he needed to get on his uncle's good side to get to the party. "Uncle Jeff, is there any way I can help you?" He asked, biting his lip.

Jeffery didn't answer for a moment as he glanced side wards at Rex before looking back at the pitchfork he was using to stab hay and toss them over the fence for the horses. He still had a rather bitter look on his face as if the very thought of what his son had done was going to haunt him for the rest of his life. But after a moment, he scoffed silently and his lips curved upward as if he found something very amusing.

"What do you want, Rex?"

Rex startled, stepped back from his uncle's words. He knew right there that his uncle saw right through his plan, though he wasn't really sure how he might have known. All he had been trying to do was figure out a way to help his uncle to help him get to the party. But pausing for a moment he sighed and stepped back, shuffling his feet only but a little. "Um....I just wanted to help you......" He was saying.

Again, Jeffery scoffed lightly and gave him a knowing look. He knew very well that Rex wanted something and was trying to get on his good side. "Rex, I've raised two kids. One is full grown and one is still a teenager and she does the exact same excuse to get something. What do you want?" He asked, with amusement.

'Well, at least he's being pleasant about it.' Rex thought to himself.

So with a shrug, Rex got into his pocket and pulled out the invitation, holding it up for his uncle to see. He even let Jeffery reach over and pluck it out of his hand to read it. "Sally May is having a party tomorrow night at her house and she invited me to go." He said a little sheepishly.

Jeffery frowned as he read at the invitation, looking it over before raising an eyebrow as he looked at Rex. He stared at him for a few seconds before stabbing the pitchfork into the ground to make it stand up and faced his nephew. "Sally May Jenkins invited you to her birthday party?" He could have laughed when Rex looked surprised to hear that it was a birthday party and not just a pool party. He looked back down at the invitation then back up. "Hm. I didn't hear about this. Terra didn't say anything. She told me she was spending the night at Sally's but she didn't say anything about a party." He announced.

Rex froze when he heard that. For some reason, he was getting the picture that Terra might have not wanted her father to know about the party otherwise she would have said that it was just that. "Um......." He stammered.

Pursing his lips together, Jeffery looked back down at the invitation, still frowning. He tilted his head backwards as if trying to find something hidden within the paper but not finding it. He stood like that for a long moment, still reading the invitation over and over again before looking back at Rex, who was staring long and hopeful at him. It was after a little while before his face softened up a little before he held it back out towards him. "Party. At Sally's. I didn't know she liked you, Rex. She's always been quiet when I've talked to her a few times. She's asked a couple of questions about you but she's never indicated anything else." He remarked.

Looking away, Rex carefully put the paper back into his pocket. He wasn't even sure himself if she liked him at all. Derrick's words were still bothering him from earlier. He was starting to think that maybe Sally was just being nice to him because she felt bad for him. Just like his cousin had said. "Derrick......" He hesitated at the name and looked up at his uncle carefully, seeing that his eyes darkened just a little at his own son's name. "Derrick said....that everyone in Brewton is only being nice to me because they feel bad for me." He shot his left stump a savage look before lowering his head again, not wanting to meet Jeffery's eyes.

"Hm." Jeffery hummed before folding his arms. "That's not entirely true. Some folks, I know for a fact, are feeling bad for you. But some of these people really are nice. Gossipers. But they are nice."

"He also mentioned why you hated my dad." Rex said, still not daring to look up at his uncle.

There was a long silence between the two. Neither one spoke for a moment and it took Rex finally glancing up at his uncle to see what his reaction was. He wasn't entirely surprised when he saw Jeffery's eyes narrowed sternly. He wasn't even sure if what his cousin said had been true but there was only one way to find out.

"Was it true? About my dad and my mom?" Rex asked quietly.

Again there was a long silence as Jeffery looked right into Rex's eyes, his face starting to darken only a little. He just stared, almost dryly at him for a moment before the man nodded. "If Derrick told you that your dad left my best friend's sister at the alter for your mother, then yeah. It's true." He shook his head when Rex looked almost shamefully away before reaching over and waving his hand in front of his face to get his attention again. "Believe me, Rex. I hated your father for a number of years because of what he did. We never spoke to each other again. The last thing I ever said to your father was that I wanted to kill him for what happened to Susanna, his fiancée. But it took his death to make me realize that I hated him for the wrong reasons. And your mother." He explained, shaking his head again. "You can think that I took into my house to make up for it. Maybe that's true. But then again, maybe I just took you into this family because you are family. I did not talk very much to your mother even after she married Quinn. I hardly ever said a word to her. But after they died, I realized that it wasn't really them that I despised. I hated myself. It was myself for not kicking my own ass for not picking up that phone and talking to them. I wanted to tell your old man and your mom that....." He stopped, sighing heavily looking away. "I wanted to tell them that I didn't hate them. I hated myself for saying such terrible things to them and for not even being there when they needed me. And it took their deaths to make me realize that. For it, I'm very sorry, Rex."

Slowly, Rex smiled faintly. He wasn't entirely sure how to take in those words but he felt happy to hear them anyway. "Thanks, Uncle Jeff. I guess." He told him quietly.

Smiling faintly back, Jeffery nodded before reaching over and nudging his shoulder. "And yes. You can go to the party. I'll give you a ride. And no, I don't need any help with the chores. I'm almost done here anyway." He told him.

This time, Rex really did have to smile as he shook his head. "Ah, actually. I don't need a ride. I....I kind of got one already." He told him.

"I'm not even going to ask who is giving you a ride to the party. I don't think I want to even know." Jeffery said, now dryly as he reached over and grabbed the pitchfork. He went back to stabbing some more hay and tossing it over the fence. "Go help your aunt with supper though."

Rex nodded thankfully before turning and rushing back to the house. He was sure feeling full of spirits after having a somewhat heartfelt talk with his uncle. He was even happier to know that his uncle didn't really hate his parents. He might have been a little sore about it but he was starting to get over it.

Jeffery, however, paused in mid toss of hay, watching as Rex hurried up into the house with a frown. He watched the house for a few moments before sighing and shaking his head. "You're going to hate me a grand though later. I'm sorry I have to even consider it." He remarked to himself before getting back to work. He knew that Rex would hate him later for what he was about to do but it was for the boy's own good. Especially when he heard about the threat that Derrick had given his nephew at school and then some strange man threatened his son for nearly hurting Rex. But as he said to himself, it was for Rex's own good.

Things were a little better that night at supper. There was a little more talking at the dinner table and a few smiles. Though, Terra continued to give Rex some secret dark looks before her jaw fell in shock when Jeffery mentioned the party at Sally May's. Obviously, she had not wanted her father to know about it. But either way, it had the other three chortling a little as they ate the turkey that Jan had plucked for that night.

When Rex asked where she got a turkey with feathers still on it, Jan gave him a rather sly smile and said, "Didn't you notice that we're one short turkey outside in the pen?"

Rex shut up after that remark. He somehow got the idea that they were eating the turkey that kept bullying him when he first arrived at the Rory Farm. And he really couldn't find it in himself for feeling bad for the bird. He just ate it happily.

The next day was a little easier on Rex. He got to at least sleep in a little until the sun was up and still, he felt great that he was getting to go to a real party. And not just any party. But the party of Sally May, the girl he was starting to like. He was planning on confronting Sally about it too. He figured it was time to face up to the music and talk to her about how he felt about her. And find out if she actually liked him or if she felt bad for him.

Once Rex was done with some of the chores, he asked his aunt if he could run off for a little bit, already planning on going to check up on Magnus and see if he was down in the ravine. Jan didn't have a problem with it at all. She was just too busy hanging up some clothes on the clothes line to dry, since the dryer wasn't working again. So it didn't matter what Rex did for the day.

Rex, happily, ran down to the ravine to find out what Magnus was up to. He couldn't wait to tell the Autobot about the party and about everything. He was so excited about it all. He was starting to see things change for him.

Getting down there, however, the young teen looked around the ravine and called out for the Autobot's name. He couldn't see him at all though. "Magnus! It's me! Rex!" He called as he looked around before his smile started to fade. The Autobot was no where to be seen anywhere. He couldn't even hear any of the rumbles of the Mack's engine or even hear metallic clicks of his giant joints rubbing against metal. "Magnus!" He called again.

Rex's heart started to fall as he looked around, moving swiftly through the ravine, looking all around the area. He didn't see a flash of red at all. He was starting to realize that Magnus wasn't there at all. Maybe he was on patrol. So Rex sat down on a log to wait.

A couple of hours of waiting and being bored, Rex was starting to realize that Magnus might have not been coming. He realized that maybe the Autobot had finally left after receiving the directions he needed to get to Nevada to find the others. It was a disappointment to Rex. He hadn't wanted Magnus to leave just yet. He knew it would have been inevitable. The Autobot couldn't have stayed forever, as he might have, kind of, wanted.

But did Magnus really have to leave without saying a goodbye?

A little down hearted, Rex stood up with his head lowered and started up the trail that lead back to his relatives' house. He felt disappointed that Magnus was gone. He had wanted the big guy to stay a little longer so that he could get to know him more.

And that was when a giant hand suddenly lowered in front of him, startling the poor kid.

Rex almost let out a yell of shock as the giant hand descended from above, blocking his path. He stopped himself as he whirled around to see what the hand was connected to and surprised to see a very large, red robot bent over him, grinning down at him. He knew very well that it was Magnus, though he hadn't seen him in the daylight. He hadn't known what he had looked like in the light. But now that Rex was seeing him, he realized that he was indeed very big, bulky and red. He had some kind of large cannon connected to his left arm though and it made Rex a little uneasy it seeing it. But what he found the most amusing was two very long pieces of metal on either side of Magnus' head. They kind of reminded him of pointy ears.

Almost laughing, Rex shook his head as he eyed them. "My, Grandmother. What big ears you have?" He had to joke.

Magnus frowned down at him, completely confused of what his meaning. He stared at Rex for a moment before his glowing blue eyes seemed to dim and flicker. But then as if he realized what he was talking about, the gruff robot squinted an eye at him, looking almost sarcastic. "Hardy, har, har. The better to hear you with, my dear." He ignored the fact that Rex started laughing at him. He just turned his hand beside the young teen and nodded for him to get on it. "Come with me. I have something to show you."

Frowning, Rex slowly sat down on Magnus' hand before gasping when the Autobot began to lift him. He quickly scooted back until he was in the center of his hand and trying to clutch on one of his fingers. He could have sworn that he just left his stomach down at the ground.

But as he grew higher, Rex realized that the trees all around them were much bigger than he thought they were. They were hiding Magnus pretty well with their thick branches. So it was now no wonder why the Autobot Commander had decided to be in bot form. He also realized that they were now moving carefully through the ravine until they were a little further from the Rory House.

Magnus walked on in silence, carrying Rex carefully in his hand and pushed past trees without harming them at all, which was a surprise. He didn't say anything until he was standing on a hill, almost risking a little exposure as he lift his hand a little higher until he carefully set a rather nervous Rex onto his shoulder. He just looked past the tree tops and pointed.

"Look." His metallic and quite powerful voice rumbled from beside Rex.

And looked Rex did. He looked straight ahead to where Magnus was looking and his breath caught in his chest. He couldn't believe it. The sight right before him, he had never seen anything like it before. Right where they stood, as high as he was on Magnus' shoulder, he could see past a valley that lead towards the border of Florida.

And beyond that Rex could see the ocean. It was in a far distance that was for sure. But it was still where he could see it. The sun was just glittering on the water's surface, making it easy to see from the distance they were at.

Rex had seen the ocean before. But not like this. Not with the sun shining down on it like it was doing now. He hadn't even realized that they were that close to the ocean. It was only a few hours away from Brewton. So it was no wonder there was always an ocean breeze blowing in through the town. It still surprised him enough. It was a beautiful sight.

"Wow." The young teen breathed as he looked off into the distance.

Beside him, Magnus chuckled and nodded in agreement as he looked at the far off ocean, himself. He had to admit but this planet was a lot prettier than he realized. And he even had to voice his thoughts. "Now I see why Optimus wants to make Earth our second home. I spotted this scene this morning on my patrol. I wanted you to see it yourself." He paused for a moment. "Planet Earth......it's a rather exquisite place. I look forward to see the rest of it." He rumbled softly.

Rex had to lightly laugh as he nodded as he eyed the sparkling water. He wanted to see it too. He wanted nothing more than to see all of it. He had always knew that Earth had it's pretty pictures and everything. But to actually see it, himself, he wanted to see more. "You and me both." He then turned his head to look at the large head beside him, carefully wrapping his hand around one of the pointy 'ears'. He was just relieved that Magnus didn't seem to care. "You're going to have to leave soon, aren't you?"

Magnus didn't answer for a moment but stared off into the distance. He stood there for a while before turning and heading back into the ravine before anyone else could spot them. He sighed softly, tilting his head towards Rex and dipping it only a little. "I'm afraid so, Rex. I cannot remain here much longer. The sooner I can find Optimus and the Autobots, the better. The Decepticons are still out there and I need to get back to my troops. I must leave no later than tomorrow morning or even afternoon. I've finally picked up a Decepticon's signal close by. It would be best if I went after it and made sure it doesn't cause any problems for your people."

Stiffening, Rex hadn't really wanted to hear that. He did not want to hear that there was a bad robot near by. But more or less, he sighed softly to imagine that Magnus would be leaving soon. "I kind of wish I could go with you." He murmured.

At those words, Magnus stopped dead in his footsteps. He turned his head a little to barely look at the boy on his shoulder before offering his hand for him to climb on. Once the young teen did just that, he pulled him back so he could see him better. "That is not possible, Rex. Letting you come with me would be asking for a lot of trouble. It would be too dangerous for you to come along with me." He told him, frowning.

"I know. But....." Rex shrugged, sitting against one of Magnus' fingers. "I just....I just feel like I don't belong here, Magnus. Even though a few things are starting to change. My uncle actually admitted to me that he doesn't hate my parents or me. He's letting me go to a party tonight. Which," He grimaced looking right at the giant Autobot's glowing blue eyes. "I....um, kind of wanted to ask you if you.....if you could give me a ride to and from." He asked, sheepishly.

Magnus frowned, tilting his head almost curiously before his eyes seemed to dim and flicker again. The young teen was starting to catch on that he might have been somehow connected to the web being a robot and all. He was kind of a machine, after all.

A moment later, the Autobot Commander chuckled and his eyes brightened again, looking directly at Rex. "A party, hm? Also known as a celebration. What would you be celebrating?" He asked, curiously.

Sheepish again, Rex reached up and scratched the back of his head. He wasn't sure how to tell Magnus that he kind of had a crush on the girl who was throwing the party. But he might as well try since Magnus was kind of his new friend. "Well.....there's this girl that I.....that I kind of like. She is my cousin, Terra's friend and she invited me over. I guess it's her birthday." He told him almost shyly. "I kind of.....wanted to talk to her about how.....I...."

Again, Magnus chuckled as he listened to the boy. "Ah. So you've found a femme that you are interested in." He dipped his head into a nod. "I see. Tell me more about this girl." He told him as he went on walking through the ravine.

And so Rex did.

For the rest of the afternoon, Rex explained to Magnus about how he first met Sally and told her what she looked like and how she was nearly the only one who was decent to him. He told him that he really liked her. But then he told him what Derrick had said about how Sally felt bad for him and that was why she was being nice to him.

Magnus didn't say anything after that remark but Rex could tell that he didn't believe it, himself. And there was only one real way to find out how Sally May really thought about him. And that was go ask her.

So when it was time to go to the party, Rex was in his room, putting something nice on. He wasn't really sure what he should wear to the party. But it did want to look as nice as he could if he was going to talk to Sally. He had gone through quite a few of his clothes to figure out what he should wear. He didn't know what he was going to wear. He kept flipping through shirts and jeans before just settling with wearing blue jeans. Now for the top, he had no clue which one to wear.

It took a few minutes for Rex to realize that Terra was standing in the door way, watching him with a dry stare. He jumped when he saw her from the corner of his eyes and looked uneasily at her. "Terra!" He yelped as he dropped his shirt he had been holding up before swooping down to pick it back up. "Uh....wh-what are you doing.....I thought you....."

Terra just stared dryly at him, not amused at all. She remained that way for a good minute before shaking her head. "You really should not go, Rex." She simply said.

Rex frowned at her before rolling his eyes and shifting his weight, impatiently. He didn't want to argue with her about why he should go or not. He knew that she didn't want him to go because he seemed to be the biggest outcast in Brewton. "Really? Why? Because you don't want your stupid dork cousin raiding on your parade or with your best friend?" He asked, just as dryly as she was looking at him.

Scoffing, Terra shoved herself off the door frame and took a step into his room, placing her hands onto her slender waist. "What do you think is going to happen when you show up at Sally's party and Billy sees you there, Rex?" She demanded. "He is not going to like you being there!"

"Oh, now you're worried about me!" Rex shot back, frowning at her. "For your information, it's not up to 'Billy' that I get to be there. It's up to Sally. She invited me. I'm going, okay?"

Terra glared at him before shaking her head and stepping back. "Rex, I'm telling you right now. You should not go. Because if you do, I am not going to stop Billy from doing anything to you. And it's not because I don't want to. It's because he's bigger and stronger than me. And he will get away with it, no matter what any one of us say. His dad is the Coach of the Football team. No one dares to mess with Billy because of his dad." She warned him, pausing for a second. "Oh, and by the way, Sally's favorite color is blue. So wear blue if you really are going." And then she turned and stormed away after hearing honking outside.

Rex just stood there, fuming only a little. But he couldn't help but feel that she might be right about this. Still he wanted to go. At least his cousin had given him a hint on what to wear. So he settled for a blue t-shirt with the saying; _Don't hate me because I'm hot. Hate me because you're not. _

Once he was ready, Rex went out by the main road, stating to his aunt and uncle that was where he was getting picked up. He could feel their eyes watching him as he went down the dirt road, heading out there. But as soon as Magnus pulled up, he quickly climbed up into the cab, pausing only for a moment to glance back at the house. He wasn't surprised to see them both standing on the porch. They were too far to see what their reactions were but he was pretty sure they were gawking at the Mack truck. And probably wondering who the hell his friend was that drove a Mack?

There would be no doubt questions rising up later when he got home that night. He was going to have to think of some kind of excuse to give them about who the driver of Magnus was.

Turning to Magnus' human form in the driver's seat, Rex smiled thankfully at him, who returned it with a nod before driving on. "Thanks for the ride, Magnus. I really appreciate it." He told him.

Magnus nodded to him again with a faint smile. "You're welcome, Rex. It's the only thing I can really think of for repaying you for helping me find my way to where Optimus and the Autobots are." He shrugged as he looking forward again. "I will probably leave tomorrow morning though. I need to find that Decepticon before he causes trouble." He told him.

Rex slowly nodded as he looked out the window, his smile very faint. He was going to miss Magnus that was for sure. He was really starting to like him and now he was leaving. He really didn't want to know what would happen once the Autobot took off. He figured things would go bad again. There was just something about Magnus that made Rex feel bold and brave. But once he was gone, he was sure that he would feel insecure again.

"I'm going to miss you though, youngling."

Stiffening, the young teenager turned and looked at the man beside him. He couldn't believe that Magnus had actually said that. He had actually said that he was going to miss him. No one really said that to him. "Really?" He asked, almost brightly.

Magnus chuckled as he glanced side wards at him before nodding and looking forward again at the road. "Yes. I think I will miss you when I leave. I promise, though, when I arrive to the Autobot Base, I will call you and let you know that I am fine." He told him. "And I will see if I can arrange some visits."

Rex had to grin. He would love for that to happen. And he would certainly love to meet the other Autobots. "That would be great, Magnus! Thanks!" He told him.

Sally May's house was a very nice house on the edge of Brewton. It almost looked just like the Rory Farm house. It was a Victorian house, painted a gentle yellow and white with flowers planted all around the front yard. A high white fence hid the back yard pretty well from any prying eyes.

There was music already booming from the backyard, playing some Pop rock music, which wasn't bad at all. There were shouts and laughter coming from the back announcing that there were already quite a few people there. There was a nice long line of cars down the street. It made Rex glad that he wasn't really driving, not that he could drive yet. He was sure that Magnus didn't want to stick around too long, so he wasn't surprised when he didn't park.

"I won't stay the entire time," Rex told the Autobot Commander. "Probably just an hour or so. I don't want to get beat up."

"Hm. I won't be far away. I'll just watch your energy signature. When you're ready to leave, I will meet you out here." Magnus told him before heading down the road once Rex closed his door.

Rex watched him drive around the corner, stopping there and just sitting there. He figured that Magnus wouldn't be far away at all. So if anything did go wrong, he would be there immediately to help him out. It definitely helped his nerves a little. So with a deep breath, he turned towards the house and marched right up to the open fence gates where people were entering. 'Mom and Dad, give me strength.' He thought to himself before going into the back yard.

Not everyone noticed him, thankfully. But a good deal of people spotted Rex entering the back yard and froze. They stared at him and he glanced back before looking around to see if he could spot Sally May. He did not care that anyone else was watching him as he passed by them.

After a few minutes of searching, Rex spotted Sally standing at a table full of snack foods and drinks. She was talking to Terra and it didn't look like they were having a pleasant conversation. They were frowning at one another and his cousin was talking rapidly to Sally. She seemed anxious about something and even Sally looked a little worried. They hadn't even noticed him yet. He caught sight of Montgomery, though, even he hadn't noticed him, which was a good thing. The jock and his pals were in the pool having a splashing fight.

Taking another deep breath, Rex slowly made his way through the crowd of his school mates, his eyes only on the girls. He heard a few of them ask why he was there. But he ignored them.

Either way, Sally finally spotted him. And she looked surprised.

With a quick glance over her shoulder at Montgomery, she cut off Terra and hurried over to where Rex was. The other girl didn't look surprised but she hurried after her best friend, approaching Rex. Both of them were glancing over their shoulders at the pool where Montgomery and his goons were still quite occupied.

"Uh....hi." Rex said, forcing a smile as they hurried up to him.

"Hi, Rex." Sally said, smiling back before she reached over, scratching her neck. She shared a glance with Terra before folding her arms, looking a little nervous. "Thanks for coming to my party."

Rex looked over her shoulder at Montgomery, whose back was too them now. He was starting to get the distinctive feeling that neither of the girls wanted the jock to see them talking to him. Even Terra kept glancing back and forth between them. "Uh.....you're welcome. Hap-Happy birthday. I didn't really get the chance to get you anything. I don't really have......" He was saying.

Sally quickly shook her head as she glanced over her shoulder again. "It's okay, Rex! I don't really want any presents. I've told everyone that. What my parents get me is enough. Believe me." She said, drawing it out a little and rolling her eyes. "Um......Terra, can you......?"

Terra swiftly nodded as she turned away. "On it. Get him out of here, Sally. I'll distract them." She told her before hurrying away.

Rex frowned as he watched his cousin hurrying towards the pool before looking at Sally when she grabbed his wrist and started to pull him towards the house gate again. "Um.....am I missing something?" He asked, frowning.

Sally shook her head as she just pulled him out of view of the pool and stopped just right by the gates. She looked rather rushed about getting him to leave. "Billy found out that I gave you an invitation, Rex. He is very pissed off about it too. I wished I didn't have to do this but I need you to leave." She told him.

His heart falling just a little, Rex just shook his head before pulling his arm free from her grip. "Sally, it's your party, not his." He stated a little dryly. "You can invite whoever you want. I'm here because you invited me."

Sighing in frustration, Sally looked directly at him, folding her arms. "Rex, I like you. I really do. You're nice and everything. But I didn't really want you to come because I knew Billy was going to do something stupid if you showed up." She shrugged. "My parents made me invite you because they feel bad for you." She told him.

Now, Rex was starting to get annoyed. He was getting tired of being told that people felt bad for him. Just because of his situation and his condition. He was getting fed up for it. "Do you? Did you really not want me to come but you did because your parents told you to?" He shook his head, not very serious. "Sally, I wanted to come to your party and ask you something. Can I or should I just get the hell out of here like some reject because you're scared of what Montgomery will do if he sees me?" He asked dryly.

"What?" Sally asked with a sigh.

Lowering his head a little but keeping his eyes directly on her, Rex wondered exactly how to even say it. He couldn't help but run his fingers through his hair, feeling his own anxiety. "Sally......" He paused for a few seconds before sighing. "You remember what Derrick said yesterday? You were there when he started threatening me, right?" He received a nod. "A lot of people has been feeling bad because of what happened to my parents and me. They are just being nice to me because I'm some orphan who lost an arm. But......do you feel bad for me? Is that why you really invited me to your party?"

There was a long pause between the two young teens. Sally just stared at him before glancing around at anyone that may have been watching them. She gave some a dark look, making them quickly look away before she turned her attention to Rex. "Rex, like I said. I like you. You're nice and kind of cute. But......I don't think......" She sighed heavily and shook her head. "I just don't like you the way you like me. Terra told me that you're kind of crushing on me but.....I'm sorry. I just.....yes. I do feel bad for you. Everyone's been rude to you since you've gotten here. Someone has to be nice. I mean, look at you. Everyone doesn't like you because....you're different. You've got....." She cut herself off. She didn't trust herself to finish.

But Rex heard it any way. He felt as if someone just punched a hole into his chest and ripped out his heart. He realized that Derrick had been right. "I've got one arm." He said rather bitterly. "Well, I'm sorry to have wasted your precious time then, Sally. I actually thought you might have liked me for who I am. Not what I have. But I guess not. Happy birthday. Enjoy your party."

And then he turned away sharply and started to leave. He didn't want to be there any longer. If Sally was going to just pity him, he saw no reason why he should stay.

However, before he could even take a few steps away from her, he heard someone approaching quickly past the crowd. He didn't even have to turn around to realize that it was Montgomery and his goons. He heard them arguing with Terra, who was trying to get them to go back to the pool.

"Stumpy!" Montgomery called before he hurried over and grabbed Rex's arm, pulling him back.

Rex tried to yank away, giving the jock a very dark look for even touching him. He did not want to deal with him right now. He just wanted to get out of there and go somewhere to be alone. But when Montgomery kept a good hold of his arm, he found himself trying to yank out of not just his grip but two more of his friends' grip as well. "Let go of me, Montgomery! I'm just leaving!" He snapped, now trying to wrench free from their hands.

Laughing harshly, Montgomery shook his head as he shared a glance with his friends before trying to pull Rex back into Sally's back yard, ignoring her and Terra's protests. "Oh, come on, Stumpy! The party is just getting started! We're going to have fun! You haven't even joined us in the pool yet!" He said way too cheerfully.

Eyes snapping wide open, Rex began to fight to get away from the jocks. "No!" He yelled as he felt himself pretty much be lifted off the ground and being carried through the crowd. He heard several people laughing while Sally and Terra were yelling at Montgomery and his friends. He barely caught sight of them trying to grab at them and pull him free.

"Billy, no! Don't do this!" Sally screamed over the laughter and cheers all around them.

But Montgomery ignored her as he and his friends carried a struggling Rex towards the pool, now laughing as he had to get a better grip on Rex's legs. He even began cheering with everyone else as they quickly approached the water.

"Hey! Let him go, you little slaggers!"

Rex heard Magnus' human voice from somewhere behind them. He could only imagine him trying to hurry into the back yard to rescue him from the bullies. He tried to look over his shoulder but he was being blocked off by the crowd. He could barely see Magnus trying his best to shove past the groups to help him.

"Have a nice swim, Stumpy!" Montgomery laughed before he and his friends tossed Rex into the deep end of the pool.

Rex barely had time to even shout as he fell right into the pool, being engulfed in water. He sank a fair few feet before he started to kick his legs as hard as he could and get back to the surface. He could barely see past the water as it blinded his vision as he kept kicking hard. His head barely broke surface allowing him to gasp for air before he sank again.

"You idiot!" Terra was screaming at Montgomery and shoving him hard away from the pool's edge. "He can't swim!"

Rex kicked hard at the water again, trying to get back up and push water below him. He was fighting hard to get back to the surface but it was very difficult. He could barely see through the water as Magnus shoved past teenagers and crouched at the side of the pool, reaching for him. He tried to throw a hand out to grab for the Autobot's human form's hand but he was just too far away from him.

Magnus swore loudly as he tried to reach into the water, only for sparks to jump when his hand touched it. He knew very well what would happen if he tried jumping into the pool to save Rex. Water and the holographic molecular imagers did not mix very well. "Frag!" He exclaimed as he watched almost helplessly as Rex seemed to sink deeper into the pool.

Below, Rex was sinker deeper as he continued to kick at the water, trying to get back up. His weight was just too much for just one arm and two legs though. As it was, water was starting to seep into his mouth and nose, making him choke. He could now start to see yellow spots starting to dance before his eyes as he sank to the bottom of the pool. He could have sworn that he was starting to see memories flashing before his eyes as his consciousness was starting to darken.

As Rex started to fade away into darkness, he could have sworn that he heard a loud splash as if someone just jumped right into the pool. But it was all dark by that time.


	9. Chapter 9 Run Away

Title: Big Bad and Red

Genre: Action/Drama/Friendship

Rating: T for some strong language, some violence, mild adult content, some crude humor.

Summary: Sixteen year old, city slicking orphan child, Rex Rory lives in Alabama and he has only one arm. What else can go wrong? Oh.....yeah. He just met a huge alien robot that turns into a big, temperamental, red Mack semi truck.

* * *

~Chapter Nine~

_Run Away_

* * *

It was very difficult for Rex to figure what exactly was happening when he jolted back into consciousness, choking up water and gasping for air. Shock did that to people when they nearly drowned.

Gasping and coughing up water, Rex found himself being quickly turned onto his side, letting him spit up water onto cold, wet cement. He almost didn't know where he was as he just threw up water, gasping and coughing. He could feel someone patting his back heavily, trying to help but it was the angry shouts that had his attention. They were somewhat blurred but he could barely make some of it out.

Someone was very angry.

".....Rex!.......Rex, are....?.....ser me!" He could hear Terra screaming into his ear before her voice started to clear. "Rex! Answer me! Are you okay?"

"Rex!" There was Magnus' voice right next to hers.

Blinking back his blurry vision, Rex coughed up some more water before rolling onto his back and trying to look at the people bent over him. He could barely see past the burning sensation in his eyes but they were both there, along with a lot of others.

No one was laughing any more.

"Wh-what......?" Rex managed to cough out before having to turn over onto his side again to spit more water up.

Terra began shaking him again, looking pale as ever. For the first time ever since meeting her cousin, she looked terrified, other than she had when her father kicked her brother out of the house. She was shaking, that was for sure.

It took a minute for Rex to start to digest everything, remembering why he was soaking wet and why people were yelling. He almost started swearing the most vulgar words when he remembered he had almost drowned because of that stupid Montgomery. He could have died because of him! And for what? Because he couldn't bloody well swim due to having only one arm!

A minute of just lying there on the wet concrete, Rex finally shook his head free of the growing unconsciousness again before he heard police sirens. He almost started swearing again, realizing that someone had called the police. He could also hear angry shouts and it took him a minute to roll over and look to the source, where he saw a very soaking wet Derrick Rory screaming at Billy Montgomery! He was soaked from police jacket to shirt and pants.

"What....what the.....? Why is Derrick here? And wh-why is he......?" Rex stammered as he felt Terra trying to get him to sit up.

"Derrick pulled up just as you started fighting with Montgomery, Rex." Terra said in a shaky voice. "He's the one who jumped in and pulled you out. He's also the one who just gave you CPR. Are you okay?"

Rex wanted to scoff harshly at her but he couldn't find the strength to do it. He just wanted to turn to her and ask her if someone hit her over the head. Of course, he was not okay. He had just nearly drowned because of that idiot, Montgomery being a jerk! He just shook his head as he balled up his fist and pressed it against his forehead. He felt so weak right now and it was killing his head. The pressure of the water was still bugging him and causing quite the headache.

"Rex." Magnus said again, catching his attention. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you. Water just doesn't do very good for......"

"I know." Rex quickly cut him off before he could blow his cover. He did not want anyone else to know about Magnus' true identity. He knew very well that there would be trouble if anyone knew that he was an actual holographic image of an alien robot. He could only imagine what the reactions would be. He also had seen the small sparks from Magnus' hands when he had tried to reach in the water to pull him out. So no doubt that if he'd done so, the human hologram might have shorted out and then everyone would know that the man kneeling beside him wasn't really there or something. "I saw it too. Don't.....don't worry......"

"Who are you?" Terra asked skeptically eyeing Magnus now.

Magnus and Rex both ignored her as they looked to watch more police officers arrive to stop Derrick from deciding to beat the living hell out of Montgomery. They had to pull him back as he continued to threaten the nearly 17 year old, swearing that his life in football was over. They knew it would be soon enough before they started on Rex, trying to find out if he was okay.

And there would be questions about Magnus.

After a minute of watching police officers trying to pull Derrick away from a rather scared looking Montgomery, Rex quickly turned towards his holographic friend. "Magnus, you better get out of here. They're going to start asking questions about you and it's going to blow it all." He told him.

"Hmm." Magnus hummed thoughtfully before nodding. He looked back at the young teen, giving him a concerned look. "Will you be all right?"

Rex nodded. "I think.....I think so. Just a little in shock but I'll be fine. Get out of here." He told him. He watched as Magnus nodded right back before turning and hurrying through the crowd to leave. He had to catch his cousin on the arm before she could go after the man and start interrogating him. "Terra! Please! Don't tell anyone about Magnus!"

Terra gave him a very bewildered look. She had no idea what was going on and who that man was. He had obviously knew Rex but how? "Rex, what is going......who was that?" She almost demanded. "And did I see sparks flying from his hands when he tried to grab you from the pool?"

Shaking his head and giving her a pleading look, Rex didn't want her to know about Magnus. And he certainly didn't want anyone else to know about him. Who knew what would happen to his big space friend if people knew. But he really didn't have the time to answer when Derrick spun around and hurried over to them. He looked up at his older cousin, still a little hesitant about him after being threatened by him just the day before. He was ignored though as Derrick dropped down to one knee.

"Rex! Are you okay?" The only answer was Rex nodding. He didn't dare to say anything else. So Derrick sighed before grabbing his arm and trying to pull him to his feet. "Let's get you home. Tell you what, Pa is going to be angrier than a swarm of Yellow Jackets getting their nest shaken up."

And he had been right.

Rex now sat in the kitchen with the rest of his relatives, listening to Jeffery Rory nearly screaming in rage through the phone at Coach Montgomery. He had changed into dry clothes and had a blanket wrapped around him as his Aunt Jan gave him a cup of hot chocolate. Now he was just sitting there, watching his uncle.

"Do not tell me that it was my nephew's fault for nearly drowning, Richard! Don't you DARE tell me it's Rex's fault! You're dumb as bricks son nearly killed him!" Jeffery yelled into the phone. "What? Don't you fucking dare pull that 'It's the strong to survive" bullshit on me, Richard! No! I do not care that Rex is just a one armed kid! Your son tried to kill my nephew and I will see you and that little shit in court for it, you son of a bitch!"

And with that last said, Jeffery slammed the receiver down, making everyone in the room flinch heavily at the sound.

For a very long time, it was just silence and watching as Jeffery just stood there, running a hand through his hair. He was barely cursing under his breath from the aftermath rage. Everyone could see that he was trembling just a little but neither one could figure out if it was rage or terror that had him shaking. It was probably both.

Still standing there, Jeffery finally tilted his head around as if to look over his shoulder. He didn't move for a long time before finally doing so. He turned and looked directly at Rex, still looking very angry. His eyes looked his nephew over before flickering over to Terra, who was still wearing short shorts and a tank top. She had yet to change out of her bathing suit or clothes. But she had respected Rex's wishes and not said a word about the man at Sally's.

"Terra, I forbid you to ever socialize with Billy Montgomery again! If I ever see you around him, there will be hell to pay! Do you understand?" Jeffery nearly barked at her.

The only thing that Terra could do was nod vigorously. She did understand and she did not blame her father for acting this way. She was so angry at Billy, herself. She might have not liked Rex very much since he came to live with them. But there was no way she wanted him to die like he almost did. She would never talk to Montgomery again, at least in a pleasant way.

Jeffery looked back at Rex, a shaky sigh escaping him as he lowered his head. He stood there for a moment, looking angry but slowly calming down. It was a few minutes before he looked over at Derrick, who also had changed into dry clothes and was sipping hot coffee while leaning against the door frame. "Derrick, thank you for saving Rex. You're still in trouble with me though." He simply said.

"I know. And I don't blame ya." Derrick remarked, not looking offended or anything. "I got quite an earful from someone for treating Rex so badly."

Rex glanced up at his cousin, meeting his eyes. Just by looking at Derrick in the eyes, he knew who he was talking about. He could see it in his eyes that he was talking about Magnus. He was just glad that Derrick wasn't telling anyone about Magnus either. It was enough to make his mouth curve a little upward and he was just glad that Derrick and Terra both shared the same look as he did. They even started to smile at him before growing passive again.

Again, Jeffery sighed as he leaned against the edge of the table, standing right next to Jan. He didn't look happy, and it wasn't to be blamed. "Rex, I'm glad you are okay. But, I am sorry." He glanced up when Rex frowned up at him. "I cannot do this any more. Your Aunt Jan and I can not deal with this any more. This situation with you. We are so glad that we've come with an understanding with you. We're even starting to love you, kid. But you are not safe in this town. There has been too much trouble with this family and the god forsaken people of this god forsaken town." He shoved himself off the table, looking sorrowfully at his nephew, who now was starting to look worried. "I'm calling your Social workers, Jennifer Murphey and Earl Whyte tomorrow. They're going to come pick you up Monday. We're entering you in a Foster Care program."

"What?" Rex exclaimed, nearly dropping his mug of hot chocolate.

Jeffery shook his head as he raised his hands in defeat. He backed a few feet away from the table, sharing a look with Jan. "I'm sorry, Rex! But this has gone long enough! If it's not you getting into trouble, it's someone who is trying to harm you! First, my own son!" He ignored the fact that Derrick lowered his head, sighing heavily. "And now that punk ass, Billy Montgomery! You could have died, Rex! You could have drowned! I can't deal with this any more! I'm struggling so hard to figure out a way to make this work! But if everyone in this god damned town is going to be against me and you, I'm not going to have it! You're going into a Foster home, away from Brewton! I'm going to see if it's all right for you to visit on the Holidays but you cannot live here any more."

"It's not that we don't love you, Rex." Jan spoke up, tears shimmering her eyes. She didn't like this any more than Rex did. But she knew it was for his own good. She even hurried around the table and took Rex's mug before throwing her arms around him into a tight hug. "We love you so much! You've become apart of our lives that will never break off. But if you stay here any more, we're so scared that something bad will happen to you!"

Shaking his head, Rex pulled away, giving her a pained, angry look. He didn't believe it. They were getting rid of him. For what? Because he was having trouble adjusting to the fact that he had one arm and that a bunch of idiots tried to drown him for fun!

Pulling away when Jan reached for him again, Rex was on his feet, backing away and glaring around the room, painfully. He looked from his aunt to his uncle and then to his cousins. He didn't believe the tears trailing down Jan's or even Terra's cheeks. He didn't believe in the sorrowful gaze that Derrick was giving him. He just shook his head, not believing it at all.

"I'm......I'm sorry." Rex stammered out, his tone very hard. "I'm sorry I'm such a burden to you. I'm sorry I'm worthless to you. I'm sorry for even coming here!"

With that said, he turned sharply and ran straight for the door, ignoring the calls of his relatives. He just burst out that door and ran off into the darkness, ignoring his uncle for yelling after him. He wanted out of there. He needed some time alone. He couldn't deal with the pressure that was weighing him down, crushing him!

Rex ran down to ravine where Magnus usually stayed, though he didn't exactly want to run to the Autobot. He was just letting his legs carrying him wherever they wanted to go. He just ran through the darkness, stumbling a little over rocks and roots before finally tripping as the ravine started to dip down.

Yelling out in surprise as he fell, Rex expected to hit the ground hard and start rolling into trees. He even threw his arm over his head to brace himself. But instead of hitting the ground, warm metal suddenly snatched him up before he could fall, holding him up from hitting any rocks.

Breathing hard with rib racking sobs, the young teen lowered his arm and looked around before noticing that Magnus was it robot mode, crouching low to the ground. He had the boy safely wrapped within his hand and bringing him closer to where he was sitting. The alien robot was looking down at him with concern as he brought him closer to him but kept a loose hold on him. He just eyed the youngling for a moment before drawing back when Rex burst into tears and pressed his forehead against his metal thumb.

"Rex? Rex, what is it?" Magnus asked in concern.

Rex only shook his head as he just cried against the metal giant's thumb, not wanting to answer. He just wanted silence for a moment. And silence for about five minutes was what he got.

After about five to ten minutes, Rex finally calmed down and told Magnus what had happened. He told him about Jeffery's phone call to Coach Montgomery and then told him about what his relatives' decision had been. Magnus didn't interrupt but he did look up the terms, "Foster Care" and frowned. He honestly didn't see what the big deal was. But apparently, it was something very bad if Rex was breaking down like this.

Finally, Rex finished, still sitting on Magnus' palm, staring wetly at the ground as he tried to wipe tears from his cheeks. He felt ashamed that he broke down like that but he felt like he had a right to. "My uncle and aunt.....they want to put me into Foster Care. I can't go into Foster Care. I'm barely holding on to the fact that I'm an orphan. What makes them think that I can handle Foster Care?" He suddenly started babbling.

The Autobot sighed again before looking at Rex again. He didn't understand the whole Foster care thing but it honestly didn't sound too bad from what he read on the internet. All the while, the young teen thought about it himself. He really didn't like the sound of Foster Care. He didn't know anything about it, really. But it scared the living hell out of him. To think that he was going to be placed into a home with total strangers scared him. He could only imagine the worst people ever that he would get stuck with. He shivered to think where he would end up. The Autobot was quiet for a very long time, worrying Rex only a little as he thought about what he had just said. More or less, it was the thought that more strange people to just stare at his lost arm. More strangers to call him a freak with one arm. It was not something that Rex wanted to go through again.

After a little while of thinking, Magnus turned his head and looked right at the young teen, frowning. "Rex, try to calm yourself. I don't understand this Foster Care situation and I know you must be very scared about doing this, but maybe this Foster Care situation might be a good thing. You will get to meet new people and perhaps find a new family." He told him calmly.

"I guess." Rex muttered before his eyes flashed and he looked hopefully at Magnus. That glint in his eyes made the Autobot Commander a little nervous though. "Magnus, can't I just go with you! When you leave tomorrow, take me with you!"

Magnus' own bright eyes flashed before he quickly shook his head, looking serious. "Certainly not! Do you know how dangerous that would be, Rex! You would be safer in a Foster Home than going with me. You do realize that I am an Autobot Soldier who is fighting in a war against the Decepticons, where it could become the Pit on the battle fields. You would be in constant danger more than you would with a few strangers. You would be targeted by the Decepticons if you came with me."

"I don't care, Magnus." Rex said, almost pleadingly. "Please, don't leave me here. I barely even know you and I would still prefer your company more than someone I don't even know! Please, take me with you." He shook his head when the Mack truck released his air breaks into a sigh again. He just shook his head as he carefully pushed himself to stand up on the Autobot's hand, staring meaningfully into his glowing eyes. "Magnus, I am scared to death. I can't.....I'm barely holding onto the idea of not even having my parents around. My parents are dead and now my only living relatives want to get rid of me. They want to give me to total strangers. I can't handle that. It's going to make me insane if I have to go through all of this again. I'd rather be in the middle of an alien robot war than having to meet a bunch of strange people who will ridicule me for having one arm." He shot his stump a dark look. "It will kill me, Magnus. I hate it that everyone doesn't like me because I'm a one armed freak."

"You are not a one armed freak, Rex." sighed Magnus. "Your Medical Officer only failed to repair you. He failed to help you when he could have. But the fact is, if you went with me, you would be in constant danger. If a Decepticon was to ever learn that I was traveling with you, they would do whatever they could to capture you and use you against me. It will be very difficult for me to protect you if you came with me."

Rex had to force a laugh as he shook his head, looking pleadingly up at Magnus. "Yeah, but I'm willing to take that risk, Magnus. Please, don't leave me here. Please, Ultra Magnus. I'll have a better chance of surviving it I go with you. Not with some strangers who will probably treat me the same way as my relatives had. I can't deal with that. It will kill me if I have to be passed around to strange families."

There was a very long silence between the two as one thought hard about it and the smaller one stared hopefully up at his friend Neither one could even speak for a while as they considered it. But after a moment, Magnus released a very loud sigh and slowly shook his head. "I just know I am so going to be in trouble for this. I can already hear my kid brother yelling at me for taking you without the permission of your legal guardians." Magnus grumbled, making Rex jump up in glee. "Very well. We'll leave late tonight for a better chance. Go home and gather what you need and I will meet you at the end of the road of your house."

"Thank you, Magnus! Thank you so much!" Rex said brightly as he was lowered to the ground.

"Don't thank me just yet." sighed Magnus as he crouched low to the ground, over Rex. "You have yet to see what will happen when we get caught by Decepticons and I will be forced to fight them to protect you. You are not going to like it later on."

Rex only shrugged before he turned and started back up the path towards the house. He paused at the top of the Ravine, looking down at Magnus, though it was more looking up at him because he stood up again. "Just don't leave without me, okay?" He begged softly. He only received a nod from the Autobot Commander before he turned and hurried back to the house.

There was not very much talking that night when Rex returned to the house. He went inside, finding his aunt and uncle in the kitchen, talking softly. He barely heard them but they were still talking about the situation with their decision. It sounded like Jan was trying to put a little fight for Rex's sake. But Jeffery kept telling her that it was for Rex's own good. That Rex would be safer away from the people of Brewton and away from those damn bullies that he planned on making their lives a living hell after what they had done to his nephew.

Rex felt only a little flattered that Jeffery swore that he would make Montgomery and his friends' lives a little difficult. After everything they put him through, he didn't care what happened to them. And he knew that Jeffery could do it too. He was grateful towards his relatives, that was the honest truth. But he refused to be put into a Foster Care program.

So it was running away from home that was his option.

Thankfully, Jeffery and Jan did not go up and bother Rex as he pretended to fall asleep in his bed. He had already stuffed a bunch of clothes into his back pack. He knew he couldn't take everything he owned. There was too much. So he would leave a few times behind. But he was not going to leave behind the picture of his parents behind. He put that carefully into his back pack before quietly sneaking down stairs. His relatives were already asleep, thankfully.

Even so, Rex had to carefully, and quietly skip the stair that creaked whenever he stepped on it. He did not want anyone to hear him up and moving around. It would no doubt raise questions about why he was carrying around a bag full of his clothes and sneaking towards Jeffery's wallet he always left on the counter.

In all honesty, Rex did not want to do this. He had never, ever done anything like this before, and he had never wanted to. But if he was going to take to the road, he knew that he would need money for the road. The problem was, he didn't have any money, himself other than the inheritance from his parents. And he really couldn't get any of it until he was at least 18 years old. It had been his parents' wishes that he had all of their money. It was also suppose to go to his college funds, but he still had quite a few years to go before that ever happened. He wasn't even sure if he would go to college. He had no idea what he would do when it came to that time. What could he do as an amputee?

So his option right now was, steal the money from his uncle.

Before Rex had gone to bed, he had written a short letter to his aunt and uncle about the whole thing. It had gone something like this.

* * *

_Dear Aunt Jan and Uncle Jeffery, _

_I'm really sorry for being such trouble for you. I really did like living here with you for the short time. I have learned quite a bit while being here. You've taught me a lot, believe me. I think I've learned how to respect myself more than I did when my parents died. I didn't think I would ever be happy again after they died. But you've really showed me that I could. I thank you for every thing you've done for me. But I don't think I would ever live with being a Foster kid. I'm barely holding on as an orphan. Forgive me for running away, Aunt Jan and Uncle Jeff. But I just can't do this right now. _

_As it is, there's a friend of mine who really needs my help. He's lost and he can't find his way back to his own family. So I decided to help him. He's been helping me find my way. He probably doesn't realize it, but he is. _

_Please don't be mad at me. I swear when I get to where we're going, I'll pay you back the three hundred and fifty dollars I took, Uncle Jeff. I swear. And I'm really sorry for taking it. _

_Thanks again. _

_Sincerely, _The word, sincerely was crossed out though.

_Love your nephew, _

_Rex_

* * *

Rex left the letter sitting right under his uncle's wallet after he took out the many twenties and couple of fifties that Jeffery had in his wallet. He was cursing himself the entire time for digging into the wallet, stealing all of the money. And he swore it too that he would give back the money when he got the chance.

If he got the chance.

Stuffing the many bills into the small pocket of his back pack, Rex took a glance around the house he had been living in for several months now before he quietly went out the back door. He was going to miss his relatives, that was the honest truth. He had an inkling that he would see them again. But right now, he wanted to help Ultra Magnus find the Autobots.

It was a gentle, quiet meow that made Rex nearly jump out of his skin as he walked away from the house.

Spinning around and nearly slipping on the gravel, Rex barely spotted those yellow eyes peering up at him. He had to steady his breathing when he saw that it was only Black Jack, probably wanting to be petted by him. The black cat had even followed after him a little, still meowing quietly.

"Damn it, Black Jack. Don't scare me like that." Rex whispered before bending down to one knee and running his fingers through the cat's sleek black fur. He was going to miss Black Jack a lot too. The cat had been pretty much his first friend since arriving in Brewton. He would have loved to take the cat with him, but he knew that 'Jack's' life was on the farm, protecting the house from rodent infestations. Besides the cat had never really ridden in a vehicle before. And he doubted that Magnus would like black hairs all over his interior.

Heaving another quiet sigh, Rex scratched Black Jack between the ears. "You take care of everyone for me, okay, Jack? And take care of yourself." He whispered before standing up and walking away.

The cat did not follow after him, as if understanding his words.

**"Rex," **Magnus' voice quietly rumbled as the young teen approached the opened passenger door. **"Are you sure that you want to do this? Once we leave, there's no turning back. It will be a very dangerous journey, I'm sure. I still do not know how I will be able to protect you if we run into Decepticons." **

Rex paused for only a second as he stood up on the metal step up, glancing over his shoulder at the darkened house. He wasn't sure that he should do this either. He did have his doubts about leaving like this. He didn't like sneaking out in the middle of the night, knowing that in the morning, hell would most likely break loose when his relatives found out that he ran away and stole money from them.

But with a sigh, he nodded and stepped up into the cab. "I'm sure. I've heard that a road trip always helps build character." He said, smiling faintly.

**"Hmm." **Magnus hummed thoughtfully through the radio. **"This won't be a road trip, Rex. And we have no idea what will happen on this journey." **

Rex merely nodded as he buckled up after the passenger door closed on its own. He knew that this trip was probably going to be very unpredictable. He knew that things might happen, things that he was going to regret. But he felt like he needed to do this. "Let's just go and find your friends before I change my mind." He told the Autobot Commander, smiling.

The Mack truck hesitated for a long moment before releasing a quiet air break sigh and started to roll away from the dirt road. Magnus just really hoped that things would go smoothly from there. He knew, but stories on the web, that things might go a wry for taking Rex. He knew that Rex's family might call the local law enforcers and would try and pursue them. This was something he knew that he did not want to happen. But he also had the thought come across his processor that if he left Rex in Brewton, the boy might come close to self destructing like he nearly had before.

On the other hand, it was going to be very dangerous.

If they did run into Decepticons on the way trying to find Optimus and the Autobots, Magnus knew that he would have to do everything to keep the boy safe. He knew that he would have to be extra careful in the battles to come while protecting Rex. The thought of something bad happening to the boy already troubled his mind. He knew he was already becoming way too attached him.

Even if he didn't like it and would have never even thought about it before he met Rex, Magnus knew that if he did run into a Decepticon, he might just have to run away from the battle just to protect the boy. He just hoped that they found the Autobots before ever running into any Decepticons. That way, Rex would be safer.

So, together, human boy and Autobot Commander began their journey. Neither one would ever be prepared for what was going to happen. But one thing was for sure, they both knew.

It was going to be very interesting.


	10. Chapter 10 First Sign Of Trouble

Title: Big Bad and Red

Genre: Action/Drama/Friendship

Rating: T for some strong language, some violence, mild adult content, some crude humor.

Summary: Sixteen year old, city slicking orphan child, Rex Rory lives in Alabama and he has only one arm. What else can go wrong? Oh.....yeah. He just met a huge alien robot that turns into a big, temperamental, red Mack semi truck.

* * *

~Chapter Ten~

_First Sign Of Trouble_

* * *

Falling asleep was a little hard for Rex to do, but he managed to do it while sitting in the passenger seat, listening to Magnus' engine rumble as he drove down the Highway. He had had a strange dream about what kind of journey he was going to have with Ultra Magnus. He had a dream where they finally found out where the Autobots were hiding and he imagined all sorts of giant alien robots. He even imagined that Magnus' brother, Optimus looked exactly like his friend and was probably the same color.

It was when the morning sun light touched Rex's face did his eyes squint as he stirred out of his sleep. He felt a little irritated by the offending light and even tried to turn his head away from it so he could sleep longer. It didn't help too much.

So, with a big yawn, Rex let his eyes flicker open and he sat up straighter in the passenger seat. He tried to stretch his legs and arm a little before glancing around. They were still on the road, no surprise there. What did surprise Rex was there were a lot of trees along the road. They weren't really any trees that he had ever seen. Some even stretched and mashed their branches with their neighboring trees, with thick and long moss hanging down from them. Behind the trees, Rex saw a glimmering light off a lake on one side, and the shining ocean on the other.

"I see you're finally out of recharge." Rex turned his head to see that Magnus had activated his Holographic Imager and his human form seemed to be driving the large red Mack. The man sitting there merely glanced over at him before returning his eyes to the road. "Are you aware that you speak in your recharge?" He asked, almost amused.

Rex's face flushed, not even wanting to know what he had been saying while sleeping. He could have blurted out all of his secrets for all he knew. But he had to ask anyway. "What was I saying?" He asked, suspiciously.

Magnus began to chuckle, his engine rumbling a little louder to join in. He glanced back over at Rex, noting that his face was a little flushed from embarrassment. "Hmm. Nothing too much. Your vocal processor kept changing its pitch and rhythm, which I had to look up on the Web to figure out why. I believe it was what you call, song." He told him.

Like a light being turned on, Rex's face nearly went as red as Magnus' paint job and he groaned as he slapped his head into his one hand. "Oh, god. I was singing in my sleep! That's even worst!" He groaned.

Magnus laughed, not being able to help it at all.

After a moment, Rex calmed down and grimaced as he felt an embarrassing pressure within his lower regions. He really needed to use the bathroom. He really didn't want to share that information with his Autobot friend, but if he didn't go soon, he was going to have an accident. "Magnus, is there any way we can pull over into a store or gas station? I really have got to go." He muttered, feeling a little miserable.

The man beside him in the driver's seat frowned, looking at him with confusion. "Go? Go where?" He asked, his frown deepening.

Again, Rex groaned as he ended up having to cross his legs and shake his head. He felt even worst that learning he had been singing in his sleep. He had no clue how he was even suppose to explain that humans had to relieve their selves now and then. "I gotta pee. I think Aunt Jan's hot chocolate has caught up with me through the night." He groaned again when Magnus' eyes dimmed, probably looking up the word.

And finding it, Magnus grimaced, his huge metal frame making a light jerk on the road, but not enough to catch other drivers' attention. "Oh. I see. You need to lubricate." He chuckled when Rex groaned again. But he eventually chose a Speedee Mart to pull into and park well away from other vehicles. "I'll just wait right here for you then." He told the young teen as he swung open his door for the boy to hop out.

It couldn't be helped for Rex to joke a little with his big friend as he hopped down, immediately regretting it because it made things just a little worst. "Are you sure you don't want to come in? Because I hear they have great oil and stuff." He stated.

The joke kind of fell flat as Magnus raised an eyebrow at him. "I don't think this establishment would be big enough for me to enter, Rex." He mentioned.

Rex grimaced and shook his head as he began to speed towards the building. He would definitely have to explain to Magnus about jokes and stuff. But right now, he just needed to go.

Immediately heading inside, Rex had to ask the cashier where the restrooms were, trying very hard not to dance, much to HER amusement. Though, quite a few people in the building were already staring at Rex's lost arm, much to HIS discomfort. He didn't even realize that there was a news broadcast on the television as he quickly ducked into the small bathroom.

Moments later, Rex emerged from the bathroom, feeling much better. He began to realize that his stomach was now complaining about wanting to be fed and he started cursing himself for not pocketing some money before coming in. So he was off going back outside to get some, without realizing that a few eyes were now turned up towards the television, watching the news report about a teenage run away from Alabama.

"Magnus, I need to do a quick and grab, okay?" Rex said as he leaned into the cab, reaching for his back pack. He had to roll his eyes a little when the sandy haired man frowned at him and raised an eyebrow again. "I mean, I need something to eat. You know, to fill me up like how you need gas to fill up your tanks."

"Ah. I see. Just to let you know, Rex, your Planet's energy source, Gasoline, tastes like slag. It's the oil that I enjoy." Magnus remarked.

Rex just nodded as he grabbed a ten and then hopped down. "Okay. I'll keep that in mind. Maybe I'll grab you a liter or several." He told him, grinning before hurrying back to the gas station to find something. He didn't really even give Magnus a chance to reply to that, knowing it was going to fall flat like his joke had.

Heading back inside, the young teenager began to scan the food aisles and trying to figure out what he wanted to eat. He figured that he should grab something for later as well. He hadn't been too worried about his food sources when he had been taking off and it made him grimace about some of the prices. It began to occur to him that he didn't even have a clue where he was. He had been sleeping the entire night that he hadn't seen any of the signs. So he took a quick trip near the newspaper and glanced at the headlines. Imagine his surprise when he saw in large bold letters; Louisiana Press Association.

"Oh, wow. We're in Louisiana already? I missed Mississippi." Rex said, very amused before he went back to scanning the aisles.

"Hey, Darla. Did you hear that news report just now?" Rex heard someone say from somewhere in the other side of the store. "About that kid?"

"Yessiree, I did, Midge. The nerve of the new generation." Another woman remarked. "It just kills me to hear about all of these kids running away from home. I heard tha' Ally-bama's got the news all over the state. Poor chil'. Wonder why he'd run away from home." Rex froze when he heard the conversation going on and even looked wide eyed around the convenient store to see who was talking. There were two women on the other side of the aisle who were discussing it. "I wonder if there was trubble at home or the chil's just a spoiled and didn' get his way. What was that name again?"

"I think it was Roger or something."

"It was Rex, ladies." A man's voice piped up; obviously he had been listening in too.

Swallowing hard, Rex quickly grabbed a few things, not caring what they were any more and hurried up to the counter, trying to keep his head down low. He knew it was him that they were talking about. It seemed that news spread pretty fast in Brewton about his running away. More or less, it had spread all the way to Louisiana.

So, getting to the counter, Rex just pushed the ten towards the cashier before gathering his chosen food and rushing out without even caring about his change. He ignored the cashier who was calling after him for his change as he was out the door and nearly running towards the big red Mack with his food.

"Rex, do I want to know why you are running?" Magnus' human form called out his window, already getting the idea that something was wrong.

Rex just tossed his junk food into his bag before quickly plopping down in the passenger seat and pulling his seat belt on. "Later, Mags! Let's just get out of here!" He told him quickly. He ignored the alarmed look on Magnus' face as the truck rumbled to life and began driving rather quickly out of the parking lot. He didn't want to explain right at the moment. He just glanced out the window just as several came out of the store, looking frantically around. He knew very well that they were looking for him but they had not seen him get into Magnus' cab.

So they were safe for now.

Eventually, Magnus started prying and Rex had to explain what happened in the store. It wasn't to be surprised when the Autobot Commander started looking a little worried about the entire new situation. But more or less, they were in the clearing for now.

It was quiet for a little while as Rex filled up his stomach from the bag of potato chips he had grabbed. He grimaced a little as he ate them, knowing it wasn't exactly the most filling meal but it was something. He started thinking about everything that what was happening now. He couldn't believe he had actually ran away from home and was on the road with a giant alien robot on this new strange and exciting journey to find more alien robots. He could only imagine what would happen while being on the road.

More or less, it bothered him to think that his aunt and uncle had already started worrying about him enough to call in the media to help find him. He knew this was going to be a harder for him and Magnus to sneak around and try to find the Autobots.

It was the Autobots that had Rex even more interested in learning about. He had heard quite a bit about Optimus Prime from Magnus, but what about the others? And exactly how many were there of them? He even had to question the thought about the war between the Autobots and the Decepticons. How did it start in the first place? Why had it started? Why did an entire planet full of alien robots start fighting and trying to kill each other?

So, Rex decided after downing a bottle of water he had bought back at the gas station to ask Magnus.

"Magnus, tell me more about your people? How many are there of the Autobots? And how many Cybertronians were there on Cybertron? And.....how big was Cybertron anyway? You guys are so big so it must be huge, right?" Rex asked, looking over the man sitting beside him.

Amused, Magnus glanced over at Rex before nodding as he turned his eyes back to the road. He had figured that the youngling would start questioning about his world and its bots. "Aye. Cybertron is very big. Much bigger than your planet. It's almost the same size as your neighboring planet, Jupiter." He paused to think. "Before the war even started, there used to be tens of thousands of Cybertronians living on Cybertron. Millions, even. There were different shapes and sizes of Cybertronians, much like your own people. But the war," He paused to sigh and shake his head. "The war cut down our numbers to a decent estimate of thousands. I'm not even sure how many there are left. A lot of our people were destroyed because of this idiotic war. As for the number of Autobots, I can't say the number either. But there used to be a lot of us. And even the number of Decepticons. The war has taken a great deal of our people." He explained a little.

Rex frowned as he tried to imagine millions of robots with their own different of shapes and sizes. It was too much to think about though. So he stopped and asked the next question, though he knew it might be a little difficult to even answer.

"How did......" Rex paused, frowning with a little concern. "How did the war start? Why?"

There was a small moment of silence as Magnus thought about the question and the answer to give to his young friend. It was a hard question to answer that was for sure. It plainly showed on Magnus' face as a glimmer of sorrow crossed over his deep blue eyes, causing Rex to regret even asking.

But Magnus answered anyways.

"It was Megatron who started the war." Magnus began, keeping his eyes directly in front of him as he changed lanes and went around a slow minivan. He shook his head still not looking at Rex. "It was a really foolish reason too. He was a rising star in the Cybertron Games, gladiatorial games for the entertainment of our kind. He enjoyed the carnage and brutality in fighting other Cybertronians for the excitement that came out of it. Before him, it had been Jetfire, a rather Legendary Seeker." He paused to finally glance at the curious look on Rex's face. "Seekers are mostly aerial Cybertronians, but there's a fair few that are ground bots. They search for Energon for our world, our food sources, as you may call them. Jetfire, himself, was an unbeatable Cybertronian in the Cybertron Games. He fought with extraordinary skills and had a talent for evasive actions. No Cybertronian could ever beat him. Not even Megatron at one time. He could be brutal, if he liked. But eventually, he decided that he had enough entertaining Cybertronians by ripping apart his opponents. He saw that it was not doing good by doing such a thing.

"Any way, Megatron became the next star after Jetfire retired from the Games. He was so violent and showed no mercy. That was the problem. A lot of mechs and femmes were killed by his claws and the Cybertronian Council, the bots who governed our world didn't like it. They immediately ordered that the Games be shut down." Magnus explained shaking his head. "Megatron did not like that and eventually tried to start up an Underground Games. But he was found out and severely punished by the Council. You break the laws of Cybertron, you get an electro lashing. Basically, it's what the humans would call a spanking."

Rex had to lightly laugh at the thought of a giant alien robot being spanked. It was a funny image going through his mind and even Magnus spared an amused smile before it was gone again at the next train of thoughts going through his processor.

"Megatron was furious at the punishment he received, though. He was furious enough to even murder the Councilors and try and gain control of the entire world of Cybertron. He created the Decepticons, choosing his mechs carefully. With the Decepticons behind him, he began to rule Cybertron with fear and hatred. He became a rather fierce leader and eventually, the First Twelve Transformers ever created had enough of his brutality and murderous deeds. Especially when Megatron demanded for the two most sacred artifacts of power of Cybertron. The All Spark and the Matrix of Leadership." Magnus kept explaining, his face starting to darken. "With those two in Megatron's claws, he would have been unstoppable. It would have been dark not only for Cybertron, but for the rest of the Universe. Or even the Cosmos. He would destroy and take control of every piece of life.

"The First Twelve, though there used to be Thirteen of them until one fell from the seat of power, they decided that Megatron's dark reign should end. They hid away the All Spark so that Megatron would never find it and passed the Matrix of Leadership to the very first Prime ever created. Magnus Prime, which I have been designated after." The Autobot Commander explained, glancing at the growing smile on Rex's face. "Magnus Prime became the first Prime and he created the Autobots to challenge the Decepticons and end their dark deeds. Thus the war began."

"All because Megatron was spanked?" Rex asked, skeptically.

Magnus huffed softly, almost amused but he shook his head as he looked at the boy beside him. "I wish it would have been that simple, Rex. True, it was the electro lashing that fueled Megatron's fury at first. But it was the fact that he could not let go of the fights. He had enjoyed all of the brutality and destruction too much that it blinded him. Causing chaos in a simple game match was all that he became to know. He could not let go of the thoughts of running Energon in his claws and ripping limbs off of his fellow Cybertronians. It was something....." He shook his head, narrowing his eyes as he looked forward again. "It just was something that he could not let go. And denying him the control over the two most powerful energy sources was what turned his furious flame into a blazing fire. It was hatred, greed and lust for power that started the war. It just grew out of hand and eventually destroyed our Planet."

Rex stared wide eyed at Magnus, almost completely stunned. "What? You mean.....Cybertron was destroyed? Like.....super nova destroyed? Completely obliterated?" He asked, alarmed.

"No. More like the life on Cybertron was diminished. It, itself, is still out there. But all that remains is basically a skeleton of what it used to be. It's energy of life has been snuffed out. It's basically in stasis lock." Magnus explained, pausing for a moment when Rex frowned in confusion. "Stasis lock is basically a coma. There is no movement, no actions. It's due to the fact that the All Spark was what was needed to revive our planet, as well as a good amount of Energon. But to revive Cybertron, it would take destroying a planet full of life."

"Uh....you mean......like destroying Earth?" Rex asked, uneasily.

Heaving another air break sigh, Magnus nodded as he met Rex's eyes. "Yes. That is one reason Optimus believes that the Decepticons are still here. Your planet is so full of Energon and life that it would easily revive ours." He shook his head again, looking softly at the uneasy looking boy. "It's against the Laws of Prime to destroy a life giving Planet, Rex. Primus would never accept such monstrosity. And that's what we, Autobots, stand for. We stand for the same laws as Primus would have given us if he was still alive. He would never, ever destroy a planet to save our own. It would not be fair to your simple but beautiful planet if we took away all of its life. And that's why we are here. To protect it from the dark desires of the Decepticons. It's not like they can destroy Earth on their own, though. They would need an Energon Harvester, a energy gathering machine that was built by the Thirteenth Transformer, The Fallen." He explained gently. "The Fallen fell from the seat of power because he tried to destroy a life filled Planet. It took the First Twelve to stop him from destroying life. It is not the way of Primus, our creator. Of course, it's mostly just stories of legends now. The history of Cybertron is lost to our kind because the All Spark had been destroyed on Earth."

Rex slowly nodded as he took all of it in. It was still a little hard to digest all of that information but if he thought about it hard enough, he understood it all. "Okay. That makes sense." He muttered, thoughtfully. "But....how did the All Spark come to Earth anyway? I mean, if it was hidden away from Megatron......." He cut himself off.

Again, Magnus smiled faintly as he looked forward at the road again, shaking his head. "I would think it would be obvious, Rex. Megatron searched hard and long enough for it and eventually found out where it was hiding. Thus, the Battle of Tyger Pax." He paused again to glance over at the young teenager. "The Battle of Tyger Pax is a story we, Cybertronians, like to tell. It's not easy to explain in your native tongue and most of the details had been lost because of all of the different versions. But the gist of it, Megatron almost got a hold of the All Spark before one of our Autobot scouts managed to launch it off into space. One of our last Botlings actually. Bumblebee, his name is. Megatron was charging at him, crashing through the many Autobots trying to keep him at bay and he had no choice but to stuff it into a space pod and send it out before Megatron got a hold of it. He was gravely injured after doing that but he's still alive and active." He chuckled at the next thought in his processor. "In fact, after Megatron, Bumblebee was the first Autobot to arrive here on Earth. At least that's what Optimus Prime has reported after the Battle at Mission City."

"Wait! Megatron was the first Cybertronian here? On Earth? But he didn't get a hold of the All Spark and when was this?" Rex asked in astonishment.

Magnus chuckled as he reached over with his human hand and ruffled Rex's hair, much to his protest. "That's the question of the Century, Rex. As far as I understand, Megatron was the first here. But he came in to Earth's atmosphere too fast without adjusting his programs and he got yanked into Stasis lock from Earth's Gravitational Pull. He crash landed in Earth's Arctic Circle and ended up freezing in Stasis. It was until recently he was released from Stasis Lock and the havoc in Mission City began." He snorted very loudly and rolled his eyes. "Too bad for him, he underestimated your people. He got off lined by a human. Can't say I remember the human's name though. That information was with my reports that was destroyed in my landing and my fight with Nemesis Strika."

Slowly, Rex digested everything into his mind, understanding it all. It all made sense to him and it was making him more excited by the minute. He was so looking forward to finding out more. He couldn't wait to meet Optimus Prime and learn about him. More or less, he had so many questions about the other Autobots that were on Earth. And.....and he wanted to meet this strange Autobot Scout, Bumblebee! He wondered what he was like! He was only imagining a bee shaped robot though and it made him laugh to himself.

The Cybertronians and their strange namesakes.

It wasn't even long before Magnus heaved a sigh and started to pull off the high way into a truck stop. He was feeling a little worn out from the long drive. "I need to recharge a little while, Rex. It seems my energy is going down a bit." The Autobot Commander told him. "In an hour or two, we'll get back on the road."

Rex merely nodded. He had been wondering when Magnus needed to pull over and rest his engine. He had driven all night and all day, after all. It had been a miracle that he hadn't over heated yet and started smoking from his engine. So he didn't blame Magnus for needing some rest. He figured he needed to get out and stretch his legs for a while, anyway. He was starting to feel a little cramped up. Stretching his legs and getting some fresh air would do him some good, just as long as someone didn't see him and recognize him as the runaway from Brewton, Alabama. He did not want to cause trouble for Magnus as he had for his aunt and uncle.

The truck stop they had pulled into was more like a rest stop or a little park. There were nice trees all around the park and a small river coursing through the soft grassy areas. It was kind of pretty, Rex thought to himself. And very peaceful.

So far, Magnus was the only truck at the rest stop and there weren't many vehicles passing by on the back water high way they were driving on. So thankfully, Rex didn't think they would get caught by any authorities any time soon. It would give them both a time to get some rest and relaxation before they headed back out on the road. It seemed that this rest stop was in the more open areas of Louisiana too. There didn't seem to be many buildings out in this area. It smelled kind of weird though. There was a hint of spice on the air, though it was not unpleasant to Rex's nose. But he figured it was because this was the Southern parts where they enjoyed a good spicy Cajun meal. So far he had read about the place anyway.

Walking around the park, stretching his legs, Rex found himself admiring the place and the frogs he spotted down by the water. He had never really seen many frogs while living in New York, other than what was in pet shops. He hadn't even seen too many of them in Brewton either. So they were kind of interesting. He started debating on trying to catch one to show Magnus, maybe teach him a little about his own world. He was sure that Magnus would be a little interested in such a creature.

So Rex tried to catch one and failed miserably. He ended up getting his pants a little wet instead. It wasn't easy trying to catch a frog with one hand.

After getting wet, he just laid out on a bench, staring up at the clouds, imaging what it would be like out in space. He had never paid much attention to the big open sky too much. It wasn't easy doing such a thing while living in a busy and bustling city with a little smog blocking the big blue sky. It was a lot prettier than he realized. It saddened him a little to think that he couldn't share this peaceful moment with his parents. He even tried to imagine his mother and father looking down at him through the silver-white clouds, smiling and waving at him. It even brought a few tears to his eyes to think about them.

Rex missed his parents desperately. He missed hearing his mother singing on the stage and watching his father joke around with Jameson and Carter and Jacob. He missed everyone now that he thought about them. He wondered what Jameson was doing now. He kind of wished that he could talk Magnus in taking a side trip up to New York, but that would be back tracking and he was sure that his Autobot friend wanted to reach their destination soon. He sure that Magnus was a smidge worried about Optimus Prime and the Autobots.

Still wondering and day dreaming, Rex almost missed hearing a rumbling engine. He heard it coming and that was what made him sit up on the bench and look over to see if it was Magnus trying to get his attention so that they could get back on the road.

But it wasn't.

Magnus was still sitting right where he was parked, looking very still as if he was asleep, or recharging as he always put it. He had even turned off his Holographic Molecular Imager so he could rest. And as it was, it hadn't even been an hour since he went into recharge.

No, Rex realized, it was another truck. And seeing what truck it was, his jaw nearly hit his chest as he stared wide eyed at the charcoal colored Monster truck that just pulled into the rest stop. He could not believe his luck! Here, he had been wanting to see a Monster truck since being in Brewton and learning about a Monster truck rally, and all of a sudden, while on the road, there was that Monster truck he had been wanting to see again.

However, blinking in his surprise, Rex realized that it wasn't the same Monster truck he had seen nearly run over that damn Montgomery. It was a different truck. It didn't have Night Mare on the side. And it didn't have a nightmarish horse on the hood.

It was Nemesis on the side of the truck and it had some kind of woman with fiery red eyes. He didn't recognize what it was though. Maybe it was a witch or something.

Either way, Rex quickly stood up while staring at the Monster truck with awe. He couldn't help but wander over to examine it. He just hoped that the driver wouldn't mind. He was sure that they were.......

Rex suddenly halted in his footsteps when he realized that the truck abruptly stopped itself, several yards away from Magnus. It was like the driver had been surprised that there was another truck sitting at the rest stop. But it wasn't just that it stopped so suddenly that had Rex's attention.

It was the fact......no one was driving it.

"What the hell......?" The young teen muttered in confusion as he took a few more steps towards the truck. He wondered if the driver had just stopped their truck and put it into park before getting out. But he hadn't seen the door open or hadn't seen anyone......

And then, Rex saw the strange insignia on the grill of the truck. It looked like a face of some sort. Just like Magnus'. It almost made his heart start beating fast when he realized it was a robotic looking face. He immediately started walking quickly towards the truck, a growing smile starting to curve around his jaw. He was starting to think it may have been an Autobot! It sent an exciting shiver up his back. Maybe Optimus had figured out that Magnus had arrived on Earth and sent one of his.......

Again, Rex stopped when he got a better view of the robotic insignia on the grill. His smile was starting to fade away as he stared at it. It did not look like Magnus' insignia. It did not look square shaped like the image that was in his memory right now. It had triple points instead.

"Oh.......shit." The teen couldn't help but mutter as he stepped back, wide eyed.

Suddenly, Magnus roared to life, as if waking up quickly from his recharge before there came the loud clicks as he began to transform.

Even worst, there was an equal loud click as the Monster truck roared to life and began to transform itself. It was twisting and turning so quickly as the Decepticon began to stand up and charge at Magnus. It didn't even wait for it to finish transforming as cannons whirled around on its arms and taking a fiery hot shot off at the Autobot Commander.

"Magnus!" Rex found himself shout as staggered back from his shock.

However, Magnus was proving to be very quick on his wheels as he lunged to the side, letting the blast speed past him and crash into trees. The giant alien robot was immediately on his feet and spinning his own cannons on his arms. He didn't get to fire back at the attacking robot as it crashed into him, sending them both ripping up the road and trees.

Frozen with shock, Rex just watched with wide, fearful eyes as he watched the two giant metallic beings began punching at each other and trying to rip each other to pieces. It was like watching a very violent WWE Smack down as the two alien robots started smashing each other up. "Ma-Magnus!" the young teenager cried out in alarm as he watched Magnus throw back a huge fist and smashed it against the Decepticon's head before kicking it over him off into the trees, letting them bend and crack with ease.

Immediately, Ultra Magnus was spinning to his feet and throwing his cannons up while glaring at the Decepticon as it climbed to its own feet and finishing its transformation. He couldn't believe this. Not even day had gone by since he left the small human town and he was already getting attacked by Decepticons. This was not good.

Taking a quick glance over his shoulder at Rex, Magnus was on his feet and quickly backing away until he stood between the young boy and the Decepticon. "Rex! Take cover! Try to stay out of the way!" He yelled in a powerful tone.

But Rex could not find himself to obey. He was just staring wide eyed at the now glaring Decepticon. He could not help but realize that this one looked very different from Magnus. It was nearly as big as him, but.....it didn't seem brawny like him. It seemed kind of......curvy.

"ULTRA MAGNUS! YOU SORRY PIECE OF FRAGGING SLAG!" a metallic female's voice screeched out as SHE glared fiercely at the Autobot before her, not even sparing a glance at the human squishy that the Autobot was trying to protect.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Rex suddenly blurted out when he realized that the Decepticon was not a male. It was a female!

**Author's Note: That's right, people! Nemesis Strika is a female! HAHAHAHAHA! And she really is too. At first, I thought Nemesis Strika was a guy until I actually looked up the information about the character. I was stunned to even read that he was a she and she was a pretty bad ass Decepticon. Apparently, she's one of the Generals of the Decepticons and a pretty serious one too. It doesn't say that she's got a huge grudge against Ultra Magnus, so most of what's about to be said and done is made up by my own little imagination. Sort of. Enjoy! ^___^!**


	11. Chapter 11 Smack Down!

Title: Big Bad and Red

Genre: Action/Drama/Friendship

Rating: T for some strong language, some violence, mild adult content, some crude humor.

Summary: Sixteen year old, city slicking orphan child, Rex Rory lives in Alabama and he has only one arm. What else can go wrong? Oh.....yeah. He just met a huge alien robot that turns into a big, temperamental, red Mack semi truck.

* * *

~Chapter Eleven~

_Smack Down!_

* * *

Rex could not believe what he was even seeing or even hearing. He could not believe this for one single second that this monstrous looking creature was actually a girl robot! He couldn't believe that huge Monster truck had been a female, monstrous Decepticon!

"Nemesis Strika, you Glitch! Only you would try and attack me while I was in recharge!" Magnus snarled as he began to heat up his cannons to fire.

Glaring fiercely at the Autobot, the Decepticon female stepped over the broken trees, keeping her own weapons trained on Magnus. She looked pretty pissed about even seeing him but pleased at the same time. And she truly was too. She had been searching for this piece of slag since their fight outside of Earth's atmosphere. He had messed up her own communications system as she had done to his. Not that she cared about getting her fellow Decepticons' attention right now. She had a serious score to settle with the Autobot Commander and the other Decepticons could wait!

Snarling viciously at Magnus, Nemesis bent down a little, looking as if she was about to pounce on him. Her own cannons were starting to whirl to life as she prepared to fire. "You son of a Glitch! I'm going to rip you to pieces, you Autobot scum!" She shrieked before firing at him.

Magnus nearly dove to the side, to narrowly missing the blast she sent after him. But he briefly caught sight of Rex still standing there and knew that he would get shot, himself. His spark gave a sharp jolt throughout his entire chassis before he just stood his ground and allowed Nemesis' Energon blast to clip his shoulder and send it flying away from Rex. "Rex!" He barked, ignoring the fact that the young teenager nearly jumped out of his skin. "Get to cover, slaggit! MOVE!" He nearly roared as he spun back around to face Nemesis as she was charging at him again.

Rex didn't even care that Magnus was now yelling at him. He knew that he was getting in the way after nearly getting hit by that hot blast. He had felt the heat of it as it exploded against Magnus' shoulder.

So taking a leaf from watching movies, the teen ducked down low and ran as fast as he could for the trees, hoping that would be the best cover for now. He heard a thunderous clash of metal hitting metal but he didn't dare turn around to see what was happening until he dove behind a large tree, slipping a little on wet dirt in the process. He went down to one knee, but ignored it as he looked around it and watched as Magnus and Nemesis Strika went back to bashing at each other with their fists.

This was something out of a war movie, though Rex knew that he had entered the war when he begged Magnus to take him with him to find the Autobots. But he had not been expecting to run into a Decepticon so soon after they had left Brewton.

More or less, he had thought that Nemesis Strika was a guy! Magnus had clearly stated that his enemy that he had been fighting before he arrived had been a He, not a SHE! He had been saying that she was a HE! He knew he had heard Magnus call Nemesis Strika a guy! But seeing Nemesis Strika right here and now, he clearly saw that it was a she! She had a high pitched but metallic voice and she certainly sounded like a girl! A very pissed off girl, mind you!

Rex watched in horror as the two metal beings kept bashing at each other, ripping metal off their enemies' frames and tossing them to the side as they went at it again. Twice, Rex had to duck back behind the tree to avoid getting hit by sharp debris.

However, watching Magnus fight, Rex couldn't help but feel only a little amazed. He understood that his giant friend as a soldier and had been fighting for many years before his own time. But he didn't imagine the big guy to be so fast and powerful on his feet as he blasted Nemesis Strika with his cannon, sending her flying several feet away from him.

"YOU GLITCHING BASTARD!" She shrieked as she was on her feet again, trying to shoot Magnus in the face, only to shriek in rage when he knocked her arm upward. "You stupid Autobot scum of Cybertron! I'm going to rip you up and then ship your parts to that fragging brother of yours!"

Magnus snorted loudly as he thrashed out his elbow and hit her hard in the head, sending her staggering back away from him. He quickly spun on his feet, ripping up more of the road in doing so, as he hit her again with his other sharp elbow. "As if I hadn't heard you tell me that before, Nemesis Strika!" He roared right back at her before lashing out and trying to smash her up. She ended up ducking under his fist before trying to kick him in the middle. "Let me guess; are you still mad at me for shooting you in the aft, Nemesis Strika?" He nearly taunted before ducking under her furious fist and tackled her hard. They both went crashing into the highway, ripping up more trees along with them. "Or are you pissed because I nearly offlined Obsidian at Tyger Pax! It was his own fault for taking his optics off of me when he should have been paying attention in our fight!" He roared at her.

Again, Nemesis Strika shrieked in rage, causing Rex to have to cover his ears. She sounded more like a Banshee when extremely pissed off, which made the young teen realize what the woman on her alter form's hood had been.

"OH SHUT THE FRAG UP, ULTRA MAGNUS!" The Femme Decepticon snapped before throwing up fist towards Magnus' chest plate. There had been a loud schnik as a blade suddenly shot out of her wrist and headed straight for the Autobot's center chest plate.

"MAGNUS!" Rex found himself scream out when he saw it. He had almost missed it but seen it at the last minute.

However, Magnus had also seen it and manage to throw his arm down, knocking Nemesis Strika's arm down and earning a nice big slash in his arm. He didn't seem bothered by it as he just threw his knee up and hit her in the jaw, sending her flying backwards until she crashed and rolled into the trees again.

This time, Nemesis Strika did not get up. She just laid there, her entire metal frame hissing and smoking. She had been beaten pretty well by Magnus during their fight. She was still alive from where Rex could see but she wasn't moving. He could barely hear screeching curses escaping her as she tried to push herself up. She didn't even seem to notice that Magnus was quickly approaching her with a glowing hot cannon.

The Autobot Commander, dented and scratched horribly, raised his cannon and aimed it right at Nemesis Strika's back, getting ready to fire. He knew he better quickly end this before anything else happened. "Say hello to Obsidian for me in the Pit, Nemesis Strika." He spoke rather coldly.

"Magnus, no!" Rex suddenly shouted, quickly moving out from behind the tree.

Spinning his head around, Magnus frowned down at the boy but held his fire anyways. He couldn't believe he was actually hesitating from offlining a Decepticon. He should have just shot her right there and then but he stopped. He even caught a glimpse of her, pushing herself up to an elbow to look over her shoulder at the human boy. "Rex, I said stay back. It's still dangerous for you to come out. Wait until I've finished........." The Autobot Commander told the boy sternly.

Rex just shook his head as he stared up in horror from Magnus to Nemesis Strika and then back to his big robot friend. He was shaking pretty bad from watching that nasty fight and would have given anything to take it back from trying to stop his friend. But this was a girl robot, for god's sake! His robot friend was about to kill a robot girl!

"Ma-Magnus........don't! Don't kill her! Please, do-don't!" Rex begged, his voice trembling.

Magnus frowned, almost surprised that his young friend was actually begging him not to kill a Decepticon. He couldn't believe that Rex was actually speaking up for the behalf of Nemesis Strika. "Rex, I have to! She's a Decepticon! She's a danger to you and your planet! If I do not finish this, she will come after us and possibly win the next fight! She has to be offlined!" He said sternly.

Again, Rex shook his head, shaking from head to toe as he looked back at the now glaring female robot, who was clearly glaring at him for interfering. "B-but......! She's.....She's a girl! You can't ki-kill a girl! That's......that's........!" He stammered over his terrified words.

Sighing, Magnus kept pointing his cannons at Nemesis Strika, not letting them waver at all. He still couldn't believe that Rex was actually standing up for her. A Decepticon. She may have been a femme, but she was one of the enemies. He knew very well that if the positions were reversed, Nemesis Strika would have not hesitated in shooting him dead and then probably stomp Rex into the ground. "Rex, she is a Decepticon. If she continues to remain active, she will hunt us down. And you will continue being in danger." He stated before starting to turn back to finish what he had started.

"Ma-Magnus......please, don't!" The teen tried again, still trembling. "She's.....she's still a girl. Maybe a bad one, but she's a girl! I thought.....I thought you said that Nemesis Strika was a guy robot, not a girl robot!"

Magnus almost chuckled mirthlessly as he glared down at the equally glaring Decepticon he loomed over. "Yes, I did say that Nemesis Strika was a mech. She acts like a Mech so I call her one. She also happens to be a Decepticon General. If I do not end her right now, she will become a very serious threat to Earth. I can't allow that." He rumbled before starting to heat up his cannons to fire.

Rex shivered as he took several steps forward. He could barely hear sirens in the distance now and knew that the fight between his friend and the Decepticon had caught attention from the locals. It would be only a few minutes before they arrived. "Magnus, please don't. She's.......if you don't kill her......that means she owes you! You spare her life, she'll leave us alone!" He tried.

There was a harsh laugh from both Magnus and Nemesis, as if they both found that a dark hilarious joke. "She will not honor that, Rex!" The Autobot Commander said, darkly and still glaring at Nemesis Strika. "She's a Decepticon! She will pursue us if I leave her alive!"

"There's cops coming, Magnus! We have to get out of here before they get here! If you kill her, we won't be able to escape from them!" Rex cried out. "Just....please don't kill her! She's a girl......."

A heavy sigh escaped from Magnus before he suddenly powered down his cannons. He couldn't believe he was actually doing this. He knew that no good would come out of this at all. He knew Nemesis Strika very well and knew that leaving her alive would be a huge mistake. But he couldn't stand to hear Rex sounding so afraid for this piece of scrap metal. Either way, the human boy actually pitied her and it was a huge insult to her as a Decepticon. It was almost worth it leaving her alive. It would mean that she had been spared by the hands of a human and no doubt that the other Decepticons would glitch at her and make her life a living Pit for it.

"She's still going to come after us, Rex. This is a big mistake." Magnus remarked dryly before he began back away carefully from Nemesis and then transform into his Mack form. He threw open his passenger door, allowing Rex to quickly scamper up and inside before turning his hidden optics onto the glaring female Decepticon. **"You've just been spared by a human, Nemesis Strika! Do yourself a favor and do NOT come after us again! The next time I see you, Rex will not be able to stop me from crushing your spark chamber! So stay away from us!" **He snarled through his engine before speeding off and leaving black marks on the broken roads.

Nemesis Strika, however, glared after them before she began to click painfully and started her own transforming. It was very difficult in doing so but she managed it. She was just a very beat up looking Monster truck after finishing. But she did not go after Magnus again. She knew she needed to heal before doing that again. He had ripped her up pretty good for attacking him and that human pest.

Still, it pissed her off even more when she realized that a human bug had just made one of the toughest Autobots in the entire Autobot ranks leave her alive. She knew that if this ever got out, she would be doomed to the worst insults by her fellow Cons.

**_"I will crush you, Ultra Magnus! You and that fragging human of yours! Mark my words!" _**She snarled to herself before quickly speeding away to avoid the approaching human law enforcers.

The silence between the two was very unsettling to Rex. He did not like it that Magnus was not talking to him. He did not like that his friend was shaking a little, probably from anger. He didn't even like it that he was still shaking even after ten minutes to nearly fifteen minutes of that terrible silence. He was still trembling after watching that horrible battle between Magnus and the Decepticon. And he was very worried of what Magnus might say after they calmed down a little. It terrified Rex to think that Magnus might just drop his ass off at the nearest city or two and leave him stranded with no where to go but back to Brewton only to face whatever wraith his relatives might bestow upon him. And no doubt they would ship his off to jail for stealing so much money from them. He knew that he could end up in Juvie for doing something so stupid.

For a long time, the deafening silence drew on before Magnus finally sighed and his holographic human form flickered on in the driver's seat, glancing at the trembling boy with a very stern gaze.

But before the human form of Magnus could say anything, Rex cringed away from him, still staring wide eyed at him. "I'm sorry, Magnus! I'm so sorry! I kn-know that you're pissed at me but.....but......please don't drop me off at the next town and leave me!" He begged, weakly.

Magnus blinked a few times, almost surprised that those words were coming out of his young friend's mouth but he realized that he wasn't so surprised. He thought that Rex might say something like that. He could feel him trembling through his seat and knew that he was terrified of what he was going to say. It didn't take a genius to figure that out. "Rex," He sighed again. "I'm not pissed at you. I'm upset, but I'm not furious with you. But I cannot allow you to interfere like that again. You cannot try and stop me from offlining a Decepticon, even if it's a femme. Especially if it's Nemesis Strika. She is way too dangerous to be left alive. I should have killed her back there."

Rex meekly nodded as he tore his ashamed gaze away from his friend. He knew he had done wrong for standing up for Nemesis Strika. He knew he should have let Magnus do his job and killed her before she become a huge threat to Earth. "I kn-know. But.....but.....she was a girl. You almost killed a girl robot." He stammered fearfully.

Again, Magnus sighed and shook his head as he looked forward again. "Rex, even femmes are very dangerous. They can become the most dangerous in the world and you wouldn't realize it until it's too late." He told him.

"I.....I....I know, Ma-Magnus. And I'm sorry. Bu-but.....here on Earth......it's kind of wrong to hurt a girl. It's not right to hit girls. Even if they deserve it. It's.....it's just not right. It's......" Rex stammered before shuddering and looking out the window. "I.....back in New York, when my parents were still.....were still alive. We.....we had these neighbors. They were always fighting and yelling. The lady living in the apartment next door......she was always getting beaten on by her husband. I had....I had to listen to it sometimes. And then....." He shuddered at the memory. "And....then one night, he just beat her so badly that.....that it killed her. My dad had to call the cops because he was so scared that the guy would come next door and.....and try to shut us up for hearing it all. She.....she was screaming so loud next door and.....I couldn't sleep for days because of it." He said shakily.

For a long time, Magnus was silent, taking in everything that Rex just said. He understood what he was trying to say and in different circumstances, he would agree. It was wrong to hit femmes even if they deserved it. But Nemesis Strika was not just a femme. She was a very dangerous Decepticon. "Rex, just don't do that again. If we ever meet Nemesis Strika again, I have to kill her. She is a threat to you. She could have killed you when she fired at me and I nearly missed it." he told him.

"I.....I know." Rex muttered, his eyes closing to keep back the threatening tears. "I.....I just.....it scared me. Seeing that fight. Seeing her bashing on you like that and then....then you nearly......"

Magnus merely nodded as he glanced softly at the boy next to him. "This is why I didn't want to take you with me, Rex. It's too dangerous. If I was in my right mind, I should pull over and put you on a transportation back to your family. I warned you that this might happen." He told him gently.

Rex just nodded as he reached up and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand before looking weakly up at Magnus. "I....I know. I'm sorry. Are......are you.....mad at me? Do you hate me for......?" He was asking.

Immediately, Magnus turned his eyes sharply onto the boy next to him and he shook his head. "No!" He quickly said, before letting his expression soften again. He realized that he was scaring Rex a little by looking at him like that. "No, Rex. I don't hate you. I can't hate you." He softened a little more, faintly smiling at him. "You're a good human, Rex. I'm actually glad that you stopped me from killing Nemesis Strika." He grimaced at his own words. "A little anyway. It just shows me that you have a good spark inside of you, even though it was reckless to leave her alive. You humans are a little too emotional for your own good though. I shouldn't have left her alive, but if she's smart, she'll stay away this time. Because if there's a next time in running into her, I cannot allow you to interfere again. I have to kill her. Do you understand?"

Finally smiling faintly, Rex nodded as he began to calm down and stop shaking. He knew that Magnus had a point. If Nemesis Strika came after them again, she would have to die. It was for their own defense. Magnus was only trying to protect him from her and it made Rex feel grateful towards him.

"I understand." the boy stated before tilting his head. "Wh-what does she have against you anyway?"

Magnus just shook his head his eyes narrowing dryly as he stared at the road ahead of them. "Other than being an Autobot and working against the Decepticons, I nearly killed off her sparkmate." He paused for a second when he saw a confused look on Rex's face. "Her consort, her husband, I suppose you could say. His name was Obsidian. It was at Tyger Pax before the All Spark was shipped off of Cybertron." He shook his head the memory and rolled his eyes a little. "Obsidian, like Nemesis Strika, was a Decepticon General, working directly under Megatron, though he really hated that mech. He even tried to rise up and challenge Megatron once and got his aft beaten back down. Dangerous son of a Glitch too. He was once an Autobot, fighting to protect Cybertron but......something happened. No one knows what it was that made him turn Decepticon. But he became a very big threat to all of the Autobots. Out of most of the Decepticons, other than Megatron or even Starscream, he's killed the most Autobots. I had no choice but try and kill him at Tyger Pax. If I hadn't, he would have killed Elita One, who happens to be Optimus' sparkmate. Or at least, she was." He remarked, a sigh escaping him again, this time sounding very sad.

The word, was, sounded more like an echo off of cavern walls. Rex realized instantly that was the big keyword in what Magnus was saying. "Was? You mean.....she was killed?" He asked, in horror.

Slowly, Magnus nodded, looking away from him. "I admired Elita One a lot back when I knew her. She was an amazing femme. She was very kind and caring about everyone and it took her to make Optimus realize his true potential. She died in a sneak attack from the Decepticons. One of our own Autobots betrayed us to them for her own selfish reasons and the cause of it was Elita's death, along with a great number of Botlings and even a few of our greatest warriors. It crippled the Autobots pretty badly." He told Rex before shaking his head. "And if I ever see that traitorous scum again, I'm afraid that even you won't be able to stop me from ripping her apart. After what she did to my kid brother, taking away the love of his life, she deserves nothing more."

Rex shuddered to hear the way Magnus was saying that. He didn't think he ever wanted to see him this mad at him. He pitied this Autobot traitor when the time came. If it came at all. So all he did was turn his eyes towards the window and watched as they sped by.

* * *

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" The Autobot IT exclaimed when the lights began flashing brightly and an alarm was going off loudly from his work station. He had been way too surprised when they began but more or less that a shrill alarm was starting to go off.

Only moments before, Hound had been trying to repair the computer mainframe, though it was still suffering pretty badly after an attack that happened several months ago. It had taken him some time to try and fix Teletraan but it was coming along. There were still quite a few problems needing to be dealt with but he was doing the best that he could. He knew if they didn't get Teletraan back online and stop malfunctioning every time they turned him on, they were going to face a lot more problems that they would have liked.

But more or less, Teletraan was acting up again and setting alarms off.

So Hound wasn't surprised when the large doors slid open and several Autobots came rushing in, followed by many of their human allies. One of those human allies happened to be his ward and partner in Intelligence Gathering. He immediately offered his hand to the plump, dark skinned man of 29 when he hurried over and brought him up onto the computer board.

"Yo, Hound man! What's going on?" Glenn Whitmann cried out as he hurried over to the large keyboard that was roughly the size of a very small car.

"Hound! What is it?" came the serious tone of the Autobot Leader when he entered the IT room along with more of their human allies, who were just curious about what was going on. They just hoped that it wasn't another glitch in Teletraan's system. They had spent a whole week in Colorado chasing after a ghost when Teletraan claimed that there had been a Decepticon squadron ripping up the town of Boulder. It hadn't been true though. Just another glitch in the system.

Hound shook his head as he quickly began clicking away at the large keyboard and staring hard at the movie theatre sized computer screen he had managed to build for his uses. He didn't like the looks of the information that Teletraan was feeding him. "Oh, man! It looks like a couple of Cybers just had a huge smack down in Louisiana! There are police reports coming about how it looked like a bomb went off over there." He said quickly before glancing over at Optimus. "I can't get a clear reading on it, but it looks like someone or someone with a plural just ripped up a small portion of the state. It's near Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana. There are Cyber signatures there but I can't get a lock on who it is. It looks pretty serious though. More 'n likely, we've got two unknown Cybers on Earth. Don't even have a clue when they arrived. Teletraan didn't even pick up their Earth Bound fall."

"What's the damage by the lake?" Commanding Officer, Will Lennox asked as Ironhide lift him and Captain Ranger Robert Epps up to the computer counter. They both looked very serious and war zoned.

The Autobot IT just shook his head, grimacing a little when he checked the report. "Serious. A truck stop there was ripped to pieces. Looks like there's traces of Energon radiation still in the area. It's not gonna be harmful to the human authorities but they are getting very suspicious." He reported.

Optimus Prime frowned as he stared hard at the computer screen from over Hound's shoulder. He was worried about what had happened, more or less, who had caused such disaster. It looked like the Cybertronians responsible hadn't been caught, yet. He just hoped that Secretary of Defense John Keller could cover it up quickly and that they could find out who had been fighting who.

But after a moment of thinking, the Autobot Leader made his decision. "All right. We're checking it out." He turned swiftly and scanned the room, noting that most of his Autobots were lingering around and trying to find out what the whole commotion was. "We better keep this as low profile as we can. Therefore, Hound, Hot Rod and Ironhide, I want you to go check it out." He glanced down at Will and Epps. "Major Lennox, Captain Epps, if you will, go with them. Take a few others with you. We don't want to have this end up like last time."

Everyone grimaced at the memory. The last time something like this happened it had been in Idaho. Teletraan had glitched and sent them messages about a war zone going on and when several Autobots actually went to check out the hotspot, it was nothing. But the Autobot Base hidden within the Hoover Dam had been attacked.

Luckily for the Autobots and the human allies, it had only been a couple of stupid Decepticons who thought attacking the Autobot base on their own would turn out good. They had been sorely mistaken when the Corvette twins, Ratchet, Mirage and Blaster and several of the human soldiers had knocked them on their afts while everyone else had thought there was bunch of Decepticons tearing up Idaho. It had been a huge mess for John Keller to try and clean up so that no one else in the world found out about it.

Will just nodded as he shared a glance with Epps before quickly stepping onto Ironhide's hand with his best friend. "We'll mobilize immediately and head out within an hour. Radio contact only. We don't want Teletraan to accidentally transmit our radio systems to the public again."

Again, many an Autobot groaned at that memory. That was just only one of the worst days of their entire lives. "Thank Primus it was a Star Trek convention, otherwise we would have been slagged." Hot Rod remarked, grimacing.

"All right. Within the hour, roll out." Optimus simply stated before looking back at the screen, frowning with serious concern. He just hoped that this wasn't going to turn bad but he didn't keep his hopes up. After the mess in Oregon nearly a year ago, things had not been going too well. And with Bumblebee out of commission at the moment, due to the loss of his best friend, it was only getting worst. Optimus Prime just prayed to Primus that the young scout would snap out of it soon because he needed him as soon as possible.

* * *

This was not going to be a good day, she knew it. They had not even been there more than an hour and she was starting to get pissed off. It was too hot for her and it was not helping her already dark mood. Yes, Agent Cole was not happy at all once they arrived in Alabama and started checking out the hot spot where the radiation machines were acting up. It was due to the fact, she was wearing her usual attire of a black skin tight Special Ops suit and she was roasting in it.

The up side of the entire thing was, they were getting some hits on the radars. They had found the hot spot just out of a small town called Brewton, in the woods. There was a large clearing where some of the trees were scorched from where the creature had come down and even there were large footsteps all over the place. Something big had been here and had been walking around.

"Cole!" Agent Sean called over as he quickly walked over the green shrubs and forest grass, having to step over a fallen tree branch probably caused by the creature. He looked pretty excited. "They found more of the foot prints out by the road twenty kilometers from here. Looks like it's taken a car form just like the rest of them has."

Sighing in frustration, Cole folded her arms over her curvy chest, giving him an annoyed look. "Okay. Well, does anyone know what it's disguised as?" She asked impatiently.

Sean winced at her dark mood. He knew very well what had her knickers in a twist. It was this damn Southern heat getting to her. They both were not used to it after spending most of their time in the Northern parts of the United States. He was sweating probably as badly as she was because he was wearing black khakis and a black silk men's blouse and so he wasn't doing any better than she was. But at least, he wasn't being moody about it. The air conditioner in the silver SUV worked great.

But with a shake of his head, Sean had to answer his bad tempered partner. "No. They don't." He quickly rose his hands in surrender when she looked even angrier. "Hey, let me finish! But, there has been some word going around the town about a kid claiming that he saw a giant alien robot." He told her quickly.

For the first time in a while, even since they arrived in Alabama, Cole's eyes sparkled to life and she straightened, turning towards him. "Where?" She demanded, her tone even starting to lighten up a little.

Sean had to grin at the new approved mood coming from his partner. He liked it when she started to get a little nicer like this. "In the sleepy town of Brewton. Apparently, the locals have been having rumors going around about some small time kid there swearing he saw the alien. Looks like we might have just hit the jackpot, Cole. Want to check it out?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

And of course, Cole didn't answer as she turned sharply and started jogging back to SUV, whistling loudly at the rest of their team to move out. They immediately followed her head and headed back to the vehicles they had rented since arriving in the state. They had chose silver SUVs for a pretty good reason. Black SUVs were just too Government official and they didn't exactly work for the Government. They wanted to avoid attention, not attract it. Plus, the heat was not helping at all and Cole always figured that black cars always attracted the heat, just like how the color usually did. So she chose a light shaded color for their team to avoid getting roasted. She knew it was a very dumb idea but hey, no one dared to tell that to her face. They would rather not getting kicked in the balls or have a nice reconstructive surgery when she was done beating the shit out of them.

Yes, Agent Cole had that kind of anger issues. And it was mostly why Agent Sean liked her for it. He loved dangerous women and man, oh, man. Was Cole the very dangerous type of women that he liked.


	12. Chapter 12 Road Trip Fun

Title: Big Bad and Red

Genre: Action/Drama/Friendship

Rating: T for some strong language, some violence, mild adult content, some crude humor.

Summary: Sixteen year old, city slicking orphan child, Rex Rory lives in Alabama and he has only one arm. What else can go wrong? Oh...yeah. He just met a huge alien robot that turns into a big, temperamental, red Mack semi truck.

* * *

**~Chapter Twelve~**

_Road Trip Fun_

* * *

For a long moment, they stared at the fork in the road, trying to figure out which way they wanted to go. It was starting to get a little irritating by how long they had been sitting there, staring at the roads or the map that Rex had printed off before they left Brewton.

Of course, it totally did not help that there was singed spots all over the paper after Magnus' battle with Nemesis Strika. Some of the blasts that she shot at him had some how hit Rex's bag while it was still lodged inside of the Autobot's cab. And for it, his bag was singed pretty badly and ripped. Luckily for Rex, he didn't lose anything or none of his things had been damaged. It seemed that the bag had protected his belongings, thankfully.

But they were now facing a little dilemma. The road that they were on had been burned out on the map so they didn't really know which way to go.

"Man, this sucks." Rex muttered, as he looked from the map to each of the roads. He frowned as he kept glancing from the road to the map and then back. "I think the right road leads to Route 49 and the left leads to Route 10. Well, we're on 10 right now so it should lead right to Texas. And Route 49 should take us all the way through Louisiana until we hit Route 20. That should take us up through either Arkansas or we'll still end up in Texas."

"Hmm. This could be a problem either way. Which is why," Magnus said, smiling at him with his human face. "You're the navigator and I'm the driver. So you tell us where to go."

A wide smile spread out on Rex's face as he glanced over at Magnus before lightly shrugging and looking back at the burnt up map. He had a real interesting idea going through his head at the moment and he wondered what his friend would say about it. "Does that mean we can make a few side trips?" He asked, his face starting to flush anyway.

A heavy sigh rumbled all around the young teen, making his grin grow bigger. Even the man beside him sighed as his shoulders slouched and he rose an eyebrow at the boy. "Rex, this isn't a road trip. The sooner we find Optimus and the Autobots, the safer you're going to be. You do remember we have Nemesis Strika to worry about and not to mention the other Decepticons. If we run into them, the same thing that happened with Nemesis will happen again and this time it might be worst." He warned him.

Rex slumped a little in his seat, feeling a little dishearten. "Yeah, I know. But I kind of wanted to see Galveston. Mom and dad went there once and said it was really cool. There's also the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center there and I heard that's really cool to see." He murmured.

There was a heavy silence within the cab between the two before Magnus sighed again and began driving down the left road. "Texas it is, then." he grumbled.

Again, a wide smile spread out on Rex's face while his heart began to pick up with excitement. He couldn't believe that Magnus was agreeing with him, but more or less, he was just glad that he was doing this with the big guy. He knew that Magnus was in a hurry to find the Autobots, but it didn't mean they couldn't have fun along the way. And he absolutely knew that they were going to have fun. There was so much he was going to have teach the Autobot Commander.

And to help a little, he began fiddling around with the radio, making Magnus' human form frown at him. Rex ignored the look as he just scanned through the radio stations, mostly getting static until he managed to find at least one that wasn't bad reception. The song that was playing right now was Rascal Flatt's Life is a Highway. And Rex thought it appropriate for the moment and so he left it there.

The drive into Texas was a long one but as soon as they hit the border and passed through the toll booths, which Rex had to give Magnus some money to give to the toll guard so that they could go in, they were both rewarded by a nice view of the ocean as they went on through the highway.

The very sight took Rex's breath away as he stared wide eyed at the sea-green water with shimmering light reflecting off of it. It wasn't a California view, that was for sure. But it was still very nice.

Eventually while driving, they pulled into Houston, which had Magnus only a little edgy. The long string of cars on the high way did not improve his mood to much, especially with many of them honking at each other and some people were yelling out their windows at other drivers and cursing some of the foulest language that the Autobot had even heard. He even had to blare his horn at someone when they tried to cut him off. They sure got out of the way when they saw that huge Mack getting ready to do a fender bender on his ass. There was no way in hell that an Audi R8 Spyder was going to beat a Mack Titan truck. Especially one that was a lot bigger than that small sports car.

Sooner or later, Magnus finally pulled off the highway and went onto Route 45, leading down towards the Coast. He couldn't help but smile to himself when he saw Rex starting to bounce on his seat when they moved closer into Galveston. They had already driven by the space center and figured to pull in towards it on their way back after a day on the beach.

But if there was one thing that Magnus had to admit that was more rewarding than he had ever had was to see the look on Rex's face when they finally got to see the open sea. He had to chuckle when the boy's face lit up with the greatest awe as he finally got to see a better view. He had to admit it to himself, though, it was a view that he would enjoy. A lot of cars tried to avoid Mack truck as they drove past. It was an odd sight for the Texans to see a huge red Mack driving along the beach side town like this one, but it was entertaining.

Especially when Magnus frowned when he caught sight of a couple of kids in a car beside him starting to pump their arms. He glanced over at Rex and asked what they were doing or trying to imply.

Rex only grinned as he peered over the man beside him at the kids before looking at his friend. "Honk your horn, Magnus. Real long and loud." He simply told him.

Again, Magnus frowned with confusion but he did it anyway. He didn't know why he needed to honk his horn at the kids. But a second later, he found out why. Because when his fog horn went off, the kids squealed in delight and talked excitedly to each other while the parents jumped a little but then started laughing when they realized that it had been the responsibility of their kids. Even Magnus had to chuckle with amusement.

Finally, after passing by on the Main Street and looking around in awe at all of the small shops on the sides of the roads and three large pyramid shaped glass buildings called Moody Gardens, Magnus finally found a spot big enough for him to park and not even let people care that there was a huge Mack there.

After that, both Rex and Magnus' human form climbed out and decided to take a look around the area. They walked along the beach a little, staring out at the ocean with a serene peace overwhelming them. The young teenager paused for a moment as he looked around with awe before he began digging into his back pack and pulled something out. It only surprised Magnus a little when saw that it was a photo frame with a picture of Rex and his parents. He watched Rex as he pulled out the photo and turned it around, letting the picture face the ocean.

"We're here, mom and dad." Rex said, a smile on his face as he looked around. "Check it out. It's just like you said. It's really nice."

Magnus just watched his young human friend for a moment before his face softened and he dropped his arm around the boy's shoulders, surprising him for a moment. Rex stared up at the sandy blonde haired Holoform of the Autobot for a moment and then smiled as they began walking along the beach, moving closer to the water to get a better look.

Later, after an hour of walking past shops and walking along the fine sand beaches, Rex spotted something that really caught his interest in a sea shell shop. He spotted a pooka shell necklace with a small personalized name surfboard. He couldn't believe in the coincidence that it said Mack. But he had to buy it.

So once Rex and Magnus returned to the large Mack truck so they could get on the road, the young teenager pulled it out and carefully draped it around the rearview mirror before glancing at Magnus when he frowned and stared at it. "It's a souvenir, a keepsake." He tried to explain to his big friend. "It's a present for you, Mags."

Staring at it for a moment before reaching out and turning the small surfboard around to see the words, Magnus' face then softened as he looked back at Rex with a growing smile. "Thank you, Rex. I'm afraid I didn't get you anything though." He told him.

Rex just grinned at him and shook his head. He didn't believe he needed anything from Magnus when he was already doing something really big for him. He knew that the Autobot Commander didn't have a clue that he was doing something for him. "It's okay, Magnus. I don't need anything." He told him honestly. And then he added to himself, 'You're doing more for me than I could ever do for you. You're teaching me how to live again.' He thought before leaning back in the seat and stared forward at the ocean before them.

It was about sunset now and the colors in the sky was almost like fire. It was a gorgeous sight to see the red, orange and yellow mingling with the cool blue. Even the setting sun and rising moon was a fiery red Rex didn't honestly think that he would ever seen anything cooler in his life. But then again, they still had a ways to go before they reached Nevada.

Returning to Route 10, it was mostly quiet along the way. They didn't get to stop by the Space Center because it closed for renovations. Not to mention there seemed to have been a theft attempt there, so there was a lot of police cars in the parking lot. But Rex didn't mind so much. He had figured that he was seeing and learning about more space stuff than could be shown at the Center. So he didn't mind at all when Magnus just kept on driving until they got back to the high way. Rex ended up falling asleep for the night while Magnus drove on until just outside of San Antonio. He decided that he needed more rest, himself and they slept for the night.

In the morning, the two travelers went on into the city, where they discovered another interesting thing to look at.

"Barney Smith's Toilet Seat Art Museum?" Rex asked, his eyes rather wide as he stared at a huge sign just outside the establishment. He looked right at Magnus, who was squinting his eyes in confusion and bewilderment. He wondered if he dared asking his big friend if they could take a look.

But as if Magnus read his mind, he pulled into the large parking lot anyway and they went to see the many painted and engraved toilet seats in the museum. But in truth, the Autobot Commander was interested in seeing this strange way of art for himself. He eventually found it very entertaining to see nearly hundreds of toilet seats have been painted on or had things glued to the tops, giving them a different taste of art. It was one of the oddest things they ever seen though.

After the museum, Magnus and Rex were back on the road, sticking with Route 10, figuring that it was their best bet right at the moment.

It was a long stretch of Texas plains though from San Antonio with a few rest stops. There were not very many towns on the Route. Much to Rex's embarrassment, he sometimes had to relieve himself on the side of the road when there weren't any where to stop.

During their long drive through the rest of Texas, Rex went back to asking Magnus questions about Cybertron and more Autobots. He began to learn a lot about them and was even stunned to learn that one time, a long time ago on Cybertron, Magnus had even attempted to fight Optimus for the name of Prime. That was where most of the jealous streak came from. Magnus admitted that he had challenged Optimus for the Matrix of Leadership, telling his younger brother that he should have not been made Prime because of his age.

According to the Autobot Commander, Optimus was the youngest Prime to ever achieve such a title. And that's what pissed him off even more. Magnus had not liked it at first when Optimus became the Prime, thinking it was a mistake to choose a Space and Time Bridge Builder instead of a true Autobot Warrior.

Of course, after challenging Optimus, Magnus had learned a valuable lesson for doing such a thing. He told Rex that Optimus might have been a scientist before becoming Prime, but he was an excellent warrior. He had been dominated by the younger Autobot and beaten pretty good. It had been completely embarrassing for Magnus to have lost to Optimus but no one really teased or taunted him. It was due to the fact that, Magnus did have quite the temper. He even told Rex that the twins had learned that the hard way.

"Twins?" Rex had asked in astonishment. "You guys have twins? How does that work?"

Magnus chuckled and shook his head as he just kept on driving down the long stretching highway. "It's very difficult to be honest, Rex. Twin Cybertronians are very rare to come by. As it is, there are very few existing. The twins I'm referring to are Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. Though, Mudflap and Skids haven't learned their lessons about messing around with me. They are considered malfunctioning pair of slaggers because they tend to be very rude, racial and very, stupid." He shrugged. "As for how twins are created, it's when a certain Spark energy splits in two, creating two different sparks. It hasn't happened often, though."

Rex slowly nodded as he leaned back in the seat, still staring at Magnus with a very interested look on his face. He was curious about these twins though. "So tell me about the twins. Um...the first pair. Sidesward and Sunbeam...um...?" He grimaced, already forgetting the names that Magnus just gave him.

Chuckling, the Autobot shook his head as he kept his eyes on the road. "Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. Those two are sure a goofy pair when they're together, which is most of the time. They hardly go anywhere without each other." He then grimaced at something going through his mind. "The twins...they tend to get into a lot of trouble. They're pranksters by nature. They like to pull pranks all of the time and it pisses off a lot of the other Autobots. Some of their jokes a slagging hilarious though. Especially when they pull their jokes on Ironhide, our Weapons Specialist and Ratchet, our Chief Medical Officer. They are those two trouble makers' favorite prank victims. It surprises me that the twins haven't been offlined by all of the pranks they have pulled on those two. But, other than being pranksters, they're brilliant warriors. There are no pair of Autobots that can work faster than those two when they work together. They always fight side by side and give the Decepticons the Pit when they face those two. Sideswipe happens to be a double blader. His weapons of choice are ten feet long sharp slabs of metal that retract in and out of his arms. And Sunstreaker, he's a double flamer. He's got a pair of torch blowers in his arms and he uses them to burn through some of the thickest metal. Both of them move around on their wheels, making them very fast on their feet.

"They also have a habit of working together and knocking that sorry piece of slag, Starscream out of the sky when they see him. They call their maneuvers the Jet Judo. They mostly use it on Starscream but sometimes on the other Seekers. They don't dare try it on Jetfire though. He's showed them up many times when they've tried." Magnus chuckled at the memory he had going through his own processor. "That was one funny day. It had Ironhide roaring for hours."

Even Rex had to laugh, though he had no idea what happened. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to know. But instead, he bit his lip as he thought about the other twins. "What about the other two? Are they anything like Sideswipe and Sunstreaker?" He asked curiously.

Magnus grimaced as he gave Rex a side glance. "Oh, Pit no. Those two..." He sighed heavily, though it sounded more like in disgust. "Mudflap and Skids are a pair of malfunctioning scrap metal. They're not very smart and they're always getting their selves in more trouble when facing Decepticons than they do with all of the rest of us. Like I said, they can be very stupid. If they're not fighting each other all of the time, they get their afts kicked by some of the other Autobots. Surprises me that Optimus even lets them fight. Only once or twice did they ever shown any potentional in fighting the Decepticons but they always get their selves in trouble. Surprises me they haven't offlined their selves or each other."

Rex laughed anyway, though he did feel a little sorry for the twins, Mudflap and Skids. He wondered what they were like other than what Magnus was telling him. They couldn't be that bad, could they? He didn't bother to ask any more about them though.

Instead, Rex looked out at the night sky, staring up at the stars with wonder. It was amazing how open the sky was in the middle of no where. He couldn't believe how many stars there were in the sky and that he could see them so well. It was very beautiful to see them twinkling in the darkness.

Somewhere, out in that endless black of sparkling dots, Magnus' home planet was out there. It was dead, destroyed of its life from the terrible war that wracked it between the Autobots and the Decepticons. It did sadden Rex a great deal to think that Magnus was kind of homeless. He wondered if there was ever a chance to reviving Cybertron without having to destroy Earth or any other planets. And if there was ever a chance of reviving Cybertron, the thought already haunting Rex a little, would Magnus leave Earth to go back?

The very next day, Magnus and Rex finally left Texas and entered New Mexico and once again they were at a fork in the road. Both of them were trying to decide which way would be best to go.

"Um...we can stay on Route 10 and head straight into Arizona. But I think..." Rex muttered, thoughtfully as he stared at the map. "We should probably go straight onto Route 25 and then get on Route 40. That route can lead us straight to Nevada. And maybe we'll get to see some of the Petrified Forest."

Magnus once again gave Rex a very bewildered look at the name. He definitely had no idea what that was. "Petrified Forest? Why in the name of Primus would you want to see a bunch of frightened trees?" He asked, frowning.

Rex immediately started laughing as he realized what Magnus was thinking. "No, no. The trees aren't frightened of anything, Magnus. I mean, they're not trees any more. They're so old so they've turned into stone. There's a whole forest full of them." He explained, trying to keep his laughter down a little.

"Oh." Magnus muttered, sounding a little sheepish.

"Don't worry, Magnus. We'll get you updated on everything that happens on Earth. I'll teach you everything you need to know." Rex said still laughing.

Magnus merely smiled at him as he decided to drive on straight, heading onto Route 25. He figured that the sound of this Petrified Forest was worth seeing. So on with it he went. He was starting to enjoy this little trip of searching for the Autobots. The things that he was seeing on the road with Rex was almost worth all of this trouble. But at least, he was doing it with someone to talk to. He was starting to think that if he had left Rex in Brewton, he would have gotten a little lonely out on the road.

* * *

Again, she was getting annoyed. They were way behind schedule and no doubt that the creature was getting further and further away from them. They had no clue where it was but they were starting to get a clear picture of what it was disguised as now. They had that family back in Brewton to thank for that.

Back in the Brewton, after receiving news about the kid claiming that he saw an alien robot, they had immediately headed into the town to find out more. It didn't take long to gather any information at all. It seemed that Brewton was one of those towns that liked to talk a lot. They didn't even have to question a lot of people about finding out what the whole story was. They found out that a young teenager named Rex Rory had been claiming that he saw an alien robot come down out of the sky one night and tried to tell people. But no one believed him, thankfully to the Department.

Eventually, Agent Cole and Agent Sean went to see the family that the kid belonged to, and try to talk to the kid, himself. They were, unfortunately, denied that, due to the fact that the boy had ran away from home. Meeting with the Rory family, though, had been interesting enough. At least to Sean.

The very minute that they had even pulled up to a small farm house, they were greeted by a rather hysterical woman, Jannet Rory, who kept asking them if they knew anything about her nephew. She had believed that they were Government officials, or at least the police coming to tell her and her family that they had found her nephew.

Even Cole, deep down, had to feel some regret for not being able to tell her anything.

Both Jeffery and Jan Rory sat down with the two agents and explained everything about their nephew, Rex Rory. They showed them a picture of him and explained why he had even been to live with them. They told the two agents of some of the trouble that Rex had been in since he got to Brewton after losing his parents.

Just from a side glance, Sean saw that hearing that a young kid like Rex losing his parents and ending up having to amputate an arm because of a freak accident was bothering his partner. He knew very well that Cole would never admit it, but she had a softer heart than she let on about. It was probably due to the fact that she had her own family troubles. No one else in the Department knew her story but he sure did after prying so much. It was all of that tough bitch mask that Cole kept wearing. He knew very well that it was all an act to make people leave her the hell alone. It worked, at least. But it wouldn't work for him.

Eventually, Cole asked Jeffery and Jan about the story that was going around town about Rex having found an alien robot in the woods. She had eased into it very casual like, lightly joking about it. It was part of her job to be as casual as much as she could be. Other than that, she would have been a tough girl again, demanding for answers.

Rolling his eyes and huffing, Jeffery Rory shook his head as he kept an arm around his wife. "Damn gossipers! Don't believe a word about it, ma-am! It's this damn town putting black marks on Rex! It's because he's different from them, having one arm and being from New York. They're just trying to make him look bad because of that damn Montgomery kid! Did you know he nearly killed Rex the other day! He and his dull as nails friends threw Rex into a swimming pool! If it wasn't for my son, Derrick and some strange man that I don't even know who the hell he was, he could have died!"

Shaking her head, Jan sighed as she slumped on the couch, looking sadly at the floor. "I just wished we would have met this man and found out his name. He saved Rex's life with Derrick's help and I didn't even get to thank him." She said glumly.

"Tell us a little about this man. What did he look like? What does he drive?" Sean pried, pressing a thumb against his bottom lip. It was what he did when he got very interested in something.

Both of the couple shook their heads as they glanced at one another. They had no idea what to tell these two agents. They hadn't even seen the man their selves. But they had gotten some idea from Terra when she finally claimed to have seen the man. "We haven't even seen him, our selves. But my daughter, Terra claimed that he was about six feet tall, sandy blonde hair. Very deep blue eyes. She claims that she had never seen such blue eyes before." Jeffery tried to explain as he turned his eyes up to the ceiling. "Um...we believe he drives a big, no huge, red Semi truck. I've seen the truck a few times now."

Sharply, Sean and Cole looked at one another, both thinking the same thing. 'Bingo!'

Cole leaned closer, turning her eyes onto the man sitting across from them and watched him very carefully. It was right here that they needed to be careful. "Describe the Semi truck. If we have the exact details about it and know where to find it, we may be able to find your nephew for you, Mister and Missus Rory." She told him intensively.

Again, Jeffery and Jan glanced at one another before they tried to think with a deep sigh escaping from both of them. "Uh...let's see. The first time I ever saw it, it was right after Derrick ditched Rex in Mobile for a Monster truck rally. He was suppose to take Rex with him but he decided to be stupid and let him at a movie theatre instead. That night...um...I heard the truck pull in and drop him off. It was...a really big red truck. I believe the make as a Mack. I think it was the new 2010 Mack Titan. I didn't see the driver, but I'm bettin' it was the man who kept hanging around Rex. He seemed all right from what I've heard. Gave Derrick hell for abandoning Rex in Mobile. That's pretty much all that I can say about the truck though. It did strike me kind of odd though. It was always around Rex."

"Where can we find this truck and its driver, Mister Rory? Do you have any idea at all?" Sean asked, looking very interested.

Jeffery just shook his head as he heaved a sigh and ran a finger through his dark brown, graying hair. "I have no idea, Mister Agent. I haven't seen it driving around Brewton any more. Not since..." His eyes flashed open and he looked rather surprised at his own revelation. "Ever since Rex ran away! God, you don't think that he kidnapped Rex, do ya? I mean..."

"Hey, hey. I doubt that happened, sir." Cole quickly said, trying to calm the man down. She did not want him to start panicking like he was about to. "It's more than likely that your nephew just hitch hiked with someone or took a Greyhound bus with the money he stole from you. But we will try and locate this man and get information for you. We'll find Rex for you."

Numbly, Jeffery and Jan just nodded, looking worn out and tired. They had not slept very much since Rex had disappeared and they were constantly calling the police station to find out if there were any news of him. They had even Derrick scouring Alabama for the boy, which was why these agents couldn't talk to him.

But more or less, the two Rorys would put their faith in these two agents. Even though, they still didn't know that they weren't cops or detectives like they were claiming to be.

After leaving the Rory House, Sean merely glanced at Cole as they climbed back into the SUV, frowning at her. "You probably shouldn't have lied about the boy, Cole. These people...they're a wreck without that kid. What do you think will happen if we do find him with the alien? You know that..." He was saying.

"Shut it, Sean. What happens to the boy is none of our business. Our target is the alien. If he gets killed while pursuing this creature, it's his own damn fault for getting mixed up with it." Cole said, though even Sean could see that it was bothering her anyway. He knew she was trying to act tough but it was always her eyes that gave it away. He knew that the situation with the boy was worrying her. No matter how much she tried to hide it, she couldn't hide it from him. "Sean, I want you to put a report to all of our agents to keep a look out for an unusual red Mack. Also, call in all of those people that the Rorys told us about. I want every one of them to know that we're looking for the boy. And there will be an award for whoever finds him first."

Sean frowned at his partner, trying to figure out where exactly she was trying to go with this. "The boy? We're looking for the kid?" He asked, skeptically.

Cole rolled her eyes as she slid into the front passenger side, shaking her head. "Sean, think about it? We find the kid, we find the alien. Call all of the list of people we took from the Rorys and let them know that there is going to be a reward for whoever finds the kid first. I want the kid found, immediately." She told him, sternly.

Again Sean frowned but he saw her point. He knew that if they found the boy, Rex Rory, they would most probably find the alien that he was hanging around with. So immediately, he was flipping out his cell phone as he climbed into the SUV and sat right behind Cole. He began to make the phone calls that would make this work. But deep down, just like Cole, they hoped that the boy would get dropped by the alien because if he was with it when they found it, there would be serious trouble.


	13. Chapter 13 Sante Fe Fiasco

**Title: Big Bad and Red**

**Genre: Action/Drama/Friendship**

**Rating: T for some strong language, some violence, mild adult content, some crude humor.**

**Summary: Sixteen year old, city slicking orphan child, Rex Rory lives in Alabama and he has only one arm. What else can go wrong? Oh...yeah. He just met a huge alien robot that turns into a big, temperamental, red Mack semi truck**.

* * *

~Chapter Thirteen~

_Santa Fe Fiasco_

* * *

For the next couple of days since the nice day at the Galveston beach, it had been pretty quiet between Magnus and Rex but they were really enjoying their drive. They had made a stop at place called Truth or Consequences. Magnus had been a little uneasy about approaching a town like that but when he discovered it was actually a Hot Springs Resort, he stopped being so uneasy.

Rex couldn't help but make a few jokes about the Elephant Butt Reservoir. They fell a little flat with Magnus again until he actually explained what the jokes were about. Only then did Magnus chuckle.

It was a nice drive among the Rio Grande River though. The river was kind of small but it gave the two a very nice sense of peace as they drove through the countryside of New Mexico.

Of course, Rex had learned a great deal about the Autobots after asking so many questions about them. He learned a lot about the Chief Medical Officer, Ratchet. And the Weapons Specialist, Ironhide. He learned more about the twins and then the Autobot IT Hound. He also heard a great deal about the young Autobot Scout, Bumblebee. He still couldn't help but picture a bee shaped robot. It was almost hilarious to even imagine.

Rex even learned a bit about a very serious Autobot, who also happened to be the Stealth Officer, Mirage. He was as serious as they could come, due to the war. Magnus had told the young teen that Mirage had suffered a great deal, much like everyone else. But unlike everyone else, he had survived after being captured once by the Decepticons and tortured for information about the Autobots. It had shaken Mirage up pretty badly enough to make him a little wary about everyone around him. It wasn't that he didn't distrust all of his Autobot comrades at all. It was just that his experience of being tortured had messed up his processor only a little. And because of the young Autobot traitor; the one that was responsible for the death of Elita One, he became an even more shaken up and he only trusted so many Autobots. Optimus Prime, Ratchet, Ironhide, Hound and a fair few others were the only ones he truly trusted. He had become very leery about Autobots he had never worked with. He didn't even trust Bumblebee fully and the young Scout was one of the best that the Autobots had.

It was about when they reached Albuquerque, New Mexico did things get very interesting for them. They had barely entered the small city when Rex saw the poster hanging on the wall.

"Magnus! Wait a minute!" He blurted out.

And of course, Magnus slammed on his brakes, which was luckily he wasn't being followed by any cars behind him so no one rammed into his rear bumper. He just began clicking loudly as if he was going to transform immediately. But he stopped when he realized that Rex wasn't jumping out of his cab and booking it or when no Decepticons were showing up. It took him a minute to realize that the young boy was staring at a piece of shiny paper stuck to a building wall.

_Sante Fe Presents New York City's Broadway Companys' Infamous, Talented Jameson Clark performing in the Lustrous, Steamy Broadway Show; Chicago!_

Rex could not believe it. He couldn't believe all of his luck that he would find his parents' best friend in New Mexico! And the date for the show was that week! He would get to see Jameson if Magnus took him to Santa Fe. That was one person he would love to talk to right now.

Turning around on the seat, the young teen smiled brightly over at his friend. He really hoped that Magnus would let them take a side trip for this. "Magnus, can we go to Sante Fe real quick? I know we're in a hurry to find the Autobots but I really got to see someone." He told him.

Frowning, Magnus looked over at the poster and studied it. He didn't know what exactly Rex wanted to see but he wasn't sure if they should stray off the path from finding his comrades. But with a glance back at Rex, he nodded. "Very well. But we shouldn't stay too long. The sooner we get back on the road, the better." He told him as he began taking the road leading out of Albuquerque.

Rex just had to smile brightly as he thought about what Jameson's reaction would be like when he saw him. He knew that his old friend would be surprised. And just maybe...just maybe, he could introduce Jameson to Ultra Magnus. He knew that Jameson would like Magnus. He just knew that he would. There wasn't really anything not to like about Magnus. He was a brave, strong giant person who was protecting him from some of the harshest situations. And he was helping him actually live his life without feeling resentment. Rex felt like he owed Magnus a great deal. And he was sure that Jameson would like the giant for it. He was sure that he wouldn't freak out about his best friend being some giant alien robot.

It did not take them very long at all to reach Sante Fe at all. There wasn't very much traffic until they hit the city. And it was in Magnus' disgust that there were quite a few cars on the same road he was on. He absolutely hated being crowded by other cars. Rex sometimes got the feeling that the Autobot Commander was a little claustrophobic when it came to being surrounded by other cars. And he couldn't really blame him. After learning from Magnus about Cybertron, he knew that the Commander wasn't used to being surrounded by too many other vehicles.

But for now, Rex was occupying his thoughts about meeting Jameson again. It had nearly been a year since he had seen his parents' best friend. There were times that he believed Jameson the closest thing he had to family, other than his relatives he had left in Alabama. In truth, he was in the belief that Jameson was closer to him than his own family was.

It took only a little time to find out where the Broadway show was going to take place at but they found it. The theatre it was at was already packed with cars and people were filling in for the upcoming show. Magnus barely had time to snag a parking spot closest to the building. He had already alerted Rex that there was a certain distance limit that he could be in his human form from his real body. Rex understood pretty well and knew that there were going to be some places in the theatre that Magnus was not going to be able to go to while being there. The backstage, for one. Unless Magnus moved to behind the building, which didn't seemed to be allowed, there wasn't any way that he could introduce Jameson to his big friend. So he would have to meet up with Jameson and then lead him to where Magnus would be waiting for him.

Getting tickets for the show was even tougher though. Especially when the show was already sold out. It was almost impossible for them to even get into the theatre.

Now, if it wasn't for a certain familiar person that had spotted Rex at the ticket booth, the young teen and his alien friend wouldn't have gotten in.

"Rex!" Carter Benson exclaimed as he almost passed the young teenager by, immediately stopping when he realized who the teen was. He sure looked surprised, but pleased. He threw his arms around the equally surprised Rex Rory and gave him a tight hug while Magnus stood back and watched in interest. "Oh, my god! I can't believe it! I haven't seen you since...well, never mind! How you doing, kid?"

Rex just grinned up at the Broadway star and shrugged under the man's arm. He didn't know exactly what to tell Carter but he was pleased to see an old familiar face. "I'm good, Carter! Just...just on a road trip, that's all. Me and my..." He paused for a moment to glance at Magnus, who looked somewhat wary. "Me and my uncle were in Sante Fe and we heard about Jameson's show. We thought we'd stop by and say hi." He said, still grinning.

Carter merely glanced at Magnus and offered the sandy haired holoform man a smile, obviously not caring too much about him. "Hey. Nice to meet ya. I'm just glad that Rex has a friend." He looked back at Rex, who smiled weakly up at him. The boy was only too glad that Carter wasn't asking any questions about Magnus. He had no idea what to say about his alien friend. "So, you here to watch the show then?"

The smile went a little fainter but stayed on the teen's face. "Well...sort of. We don't..." Rex grimaced as he finally stepped out from under Carter's arm and moved closer to Magnus. "We don't really have any tickets to get in and they're sold out." He admitted glumly.

"Oh, forget that, man!" Carter said cheerfully before throwing his arm around Rex again and then throwing his other arm around Magnus' brawny shoulders, not even noticing that he stiffened. "I'll get you in! They won't say diddly squat if you're with me! I'm VIP here. You better feel lucky that my dates decided to cut out on me. Women." He muttered rolling his eyes. "Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em."

Rex's only response was a weak chuckle while glancing at the clearly not so feeling great Magnus. He knew that the Commander didn't really like having contact with a complete stranger like Carter. He just hoped that Magnus didn't freak out or anything.

But more or less, that was how Rex and Magnus got into the show.

Of course, the ticket takers weren't too happy until Carter flashed two extra VIP badges at them before going on to one of the VIP box seats. At least they didn't complain too much, especially when Carter gave them a hefty tip to keep their mouths shut.

Rex, however, found extreme amusement as he watched Magnus' reaction to the theatre they were going into. The Autobot Commander was looking around the entire place with rather bright eyes was he examined the structure of the theatre. He just couldn't wait to see Magnus' reaction to a real Broadway show. He would have preferred having his friend and Guardian start off with an easier show like The Lion King show or maybe even Wicked instead of one like Chicago.

'Cause one thing was for sure, the Chicago Broadway wasn't exactly for kids. Especially with the story line. But the music was great and he was sure that Magnus would like it.

Before the show started, Rex found himself engaged in conversation with Carter, talking about his life with his relatives. He had to be very careful of what he said though. He couldn't let on the fact that he had run away from home and it sure didn't seem that Carter knew that he had been in the news lately because of it. But then again, Carter wasn't exactly the newsie type person. He absolutely hated reading newspapers or watching the news. So he was only too glad that his mother's former stage partner didn't know too much about public news.

Rex carefully told Carter that his life with his aunt and uncle and their family had been pretty good and he was surprised at himself to admit that he had somewhat enjoyed living with them, other than the troubles he had put himself in. He hadn't told Carter about the trouble though. He just said that his aunt and uncle had been very kind to him and he did okay living on a farm.

And again, Rex was only too glad that Carter was not the pushy kind of person, trying to pry too much.

Finally, the show began and the conversation died away.

During the first couple of numbers, Rex was constantly looking at Magnus for his reaction and he had to laugh a few times to see the highly interested look on the Commander's face. The fascination and awe on Magnus' face was so delightful to see for Rex. He knew very well that Magnus was finding this too interesting.

Only a few times did Rex see Magnus grimace when it hit him about what the story plot was for Chicago and it almost made the teen worry about what kind of reaction would come out of it. But it immediately went away when the cast started singing and dancing and the fascination was back on Magnus' face.

And finally, Jameson's part came up. He was playing the part of Billy Flynn, the silver tongue lawyer of the story.

Rex really had to cheer when Jameson came onto the stage, singing and dancing the song, "All I Care About." He felt so excited to see his old friend again. He even whistled loudly, much to Magnus' amusement. The Autobot was only glad to see the bright smile on the boy's face. It brought much gladness to his Spark to see how happy the kid was.

During the entire show, Magnus watched it with awe. He had never seen such entertainment like this before. They sure didn't have anything like this on Cybertron. In fact, there wasn't even any music on his planet. So this was definitely a change for him. And there surely was never any dancing on Cybertron so watching the very movement of each dance of the Broadway was exciting. He almost grimaced to even imagine what would happen if the other Autobots found out that he had been to a Broadway though. Especially if the Twins found out. He would never hear the end of it from them. And he could already picture them starting to drive him nuts by singing and dancing.

Magnus did grimace that that thought.

By the Interlude though, Carter turned to both Rex and Magnus, grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Come on, Rex. Let's go surprise Jameson with you being here. He'll be so excited to see you again!"

Rex almost jumped right out of his seat to follow Carter but stopped directly as he looked at Magnus. He wasn't even sure if he should go without Magnus. It was best if he didn't leave his friend by himself, remembering the distance limit again. "Um...you know what, Carter. I think I'll surprise him after the show. I don't want to leave Magnus by himself."

"It's all right, Rex." Magnus told him, though he was feeling slightly uncomfortable at the thought of the boy leaving his side for too long. "If you wish so, you can go."

For a moment, Rex considered his options before sinking back against the chair and smiling at Carter and shaking his head. "I'm just going to stay right here, Carter. Thanks but it's okay. After the show, definitely." He told him. It was no bother to Carter that was for sure. He only nodded with a grin before excusing himself and leaving the two friends to their selves. Rex had no doubt in his mind that the Broadway star had something up his sleeve. He only decided to think about it later. He, right at the moment, turned his attention onto Magnus, who seemed to be listening to the break music with some content on his face. "So, what do you think so far?" He asked, smiling at his friend.

Magnus turned his nearly glowing blue eyes onto Rex before tilting his head. "Your friend or this strange entertaining event?" He asked, simply.

"Both."

"Hmm." hummed the Autobot Commander thoughtfully before shrugging. "I have never seen such an enthusiastic person such as your friend, Carter Benson. He seems to care greatly for you judging his reaction of seeing you. He seems very...kind and quite friendly. But I feel the need to be cautious around him." He shook his head when Rex frowned, looking somewhat surprised. "It is only a precaution I've learned to make, Rex. Remember that I am a serious warrior in the middle of a war. I've learned to never put down my guard around anyone."

Rex just nodded, understanding what he meant. He knew very well that Magnus was probably not used to things like this. "And what do you think of the show? And Jameson performing?" He asked, almost too brightly.

Another thoughtful look formed on Magnus' human face before he nodded with a mild smile. "It is up most interesting. Where I am from, we have no things such as Broadways. We don't even have music or dancing. So this is very new to me. But I find it disturbing that a femme would murder a mech because he wronged her like this Fred Casely character. But then again, I don't think I would blame her. Using a femme like that for interfacing..." He grimaced at the very word before eyeing Rex. "Well, it's not a right thing for any mech to do. But then again, my people don't do such things such as having affairs like yours do. Our people are extraordinarily faithful to their mates. They protect their mates, not mess around behind their backs. And to be blunt, Rex. Is it natural for parental units to let their sparklings see such...inappropriate events such as this? As far as I can tell from this show, it's not exactly appropriate for your age."

Rex laughed and shook his head as he leaned back in his seat and propped his feet up on the railing in front of him. "No, not really. Some parents don't care but most, they don't allow their kids to see mature rated shows like this. But believe me, there are shows a lot worse than this one. I've seen Chicago many times as it is. My mom has played Roxie Hart once and they let me watch it. It's all fictional, of course. It's not real." He admitted.

"Now I'm starting to wonder if I should permit you to watch the rest of this Chicago show because of your age, Rex." Magnus now said blankly. His reply was only a laugh but he didn't seem to mind.

It was only a few moments of listening to the jazzy like music before the curtains their box was sharply shoved to the side, causing Magnus to nearly leap to his feet and frizzle a little as if expecting trouble. He had not realized that someone was approaching and it caused the Commander to curse at himself for letting himself drop his guard a little.

But it was Rex's reaction that stopped him.

Especially when Carter had returned with the very man that Rex had wanted to see in the first place. The very star of the show, Jameson Clark.

One look at Rex, though, the man's eyebrows shot up and his mouth turned into a very big grin before he looked extremely happy. "Oh, my god! Rex!" Jameson exclaimed before charging into the box just as Rex leapt to his feet and dove around the seats to meet the man in a big crushing embrace.

"Jameson!" Rex exclaimed just as cheerfully, a big smile on his face. He hugged his parents' former best friend the tightest hug he could manage with one arm before pulling away to grin up at him. "Hey! Carter, I thought I said that...!" He said, trying to sound accusing but was failing badly.

Carter just grinned sheepishly at him and shook his head. "Hey, hey, Rexter! You know me and surprises! I hate 'em! Besides, Jameson saw you up here anyway while performing down there! He almost blew his part because he was excited!" He told him.

Jameson just snorted before looking Rex over, almost observing him. "Man, Rex! It's a big surprise to see you here in New Mexico! A pleasant one! I'm so glad to see you, kiddo! It's almost been a year! How are you? Are you here with your family?" He asked excitedly before letting his eyes fall onto Magnus and he looked curious. "Hmm. Who's this?"

Rex bit his lip as he looked at Magnus and tried to do some quick thinking. He couldn't exactly tell Jameson who Magnus was without blowing his cover about him running away from home. He knew he would get an earful from Jameson for it. And no doubt that he might try to call his relatives about his whereabouts. It didn't even seem that Jameson knew that Rex was a runaway either, which he was glad for.

"Uh, Jameson. This is Magnus! He's...uh, my other uncle. On my Aunt Jan's side of the family! We heard about your show and wanted to come see it." Rex lied, trying to make it sound as plausible as he could. "He's become a real good friend of mine!"

Jameson merely paused as he looked Magnus over before his smile grew wider and he held out a hand to Magnus. "Nice to meet you, Magnus. Can't say I ever heard about you but then again, I don't know diddly squat about Rex's uncle's family. I don't even know Jeffery very well. I never met him before..." His face fell only a fracture as he glanced at Rex, whose face fell only but a little. "Well...before Quinn and Marion's funeral. So I don't know any of Rex's relatives on that side of the family. But as long as Rex is happy, that's all I care about." He said, shaking Magnus rather big hand before pulling back. "So, how you two enjoying the show?"

Rex grinned brightly while Magnus merely lift the corner of his mouth. "It's awesome, Jameson! You're doing great!" He looked at his big friend as he lightly nudged his arm. "This is Magnus' first Broadway show. He's never seen one before until now." He stated.

The Broadway actor merely grinned as he looked up at Magnus, finally noticing that he was a good deal head taller than he was. "Really? Wow, then this must be a treat for you then, Mr. Magnus! You like it?" He asked, sounding almost as excited as Rex was right at the moment.

Magnus merely bobbed his head up and down once as he met Jameson's eyes. "Yes. I do find it rather fascinating, Mr. Clark. I have never...really seen Broadways before, more or less, heard the music very much. I'm afraid where I'm from, we don't get very much of it." He clearly stated.

"Oh, that's too bad." Jameson said before waving a hand at the big man. "Oh, just call me Jameson. A friend of Rex's is a friend of mine." He stopped for a moment when a bell rang somewhere. "Oh, crap! I gotta go! Rex, Magnus, after the show, why don't you join me and Carter for dinner? That way we can talk some more." He said, smiling.

Rex looked up at Magnus, knowing that the Autobot Commander probably stiffened again. He knew very well that he wanted to get back on the road to start searching for his fellow Autobots again. The big guy was a little antsy as it was. But to his delight, Magnus did not stiffen but nodded with a light smile on his face. He had shared a glance with the teenager, knowing that was one thing that Rex would probably need right now. He knew very well that it had been a while since he got to talk to his parents' old friend and colleague so why not?

"We will be honored, Mister...em, Jameson." The Autobot said, hesitating when Jameson and Carter cracked up a little by his little formal slip. At least he didn't look or felt insulted.

Jameson then clapped Rex on the shoulder before pulling him into another tight embrace again. "It's so good to see you again, T-Rex. I've been worrying about you since your parents died." He shared a sad little smile with the teenager. He then eyed the stump of a left arm. "Before I head, I do have to know something. How's...?" He cut himself off with a grimace.

Rex glanced at his left arm with his own grimace before shrugging and smiling back up at Jameson. "It's been tough without two hands. But I am starting to get used to it." He smiled big at Magnus. "Magnus actually has been helping me cope with it." He said honestly and he did see a small flash of surprise in his Autobot friend's eyes.

And with that said, Jameson smiled fondly at Magnus. "Well, in that case, I greatly thank you, Magnus. This kid means a lot to me. I could have taken him into my own home when his parents died but..." He sighed, shaking his head. "I can't say I'm the best when it comes to raising kids. I'm afraid I do have a little bit of a problem with partying a lot. I can be a little bit of a wild card and it's not exactly appropriate for kids to be around." He admitted.

"I understand." Magnus said, a light smile on his face. And he did understand, which was a surprise to himself. He was already getting the idea that Jameson was a very caring person but he did seem to have a little wild side to him.

"Anyway, gotta go or they'll be sending someone after me." Jameson said before waving at the two and heading out. "See ya after the show, guys!"

And then he was gone.

Rex, Magnus and Carter got settled back into their seats just as the show started back up, not really saying a word to each other. Though, the young teen looked curiously up at his alien friend, wondering exactly how he took to Jameson. He smiled when Magnus met his eyes and grinned when the Autobot Commander smiled back with a nod. That was all he needed to see to realize that Magnus approved Jameson. He was happy to see that his friend seemed to take to the Broadway star a lot better than Carter.

After a little while of watching the show, Rex eventually needed to take another break after drinking some Coke. He excused himself, stating to Magnus that he should stay and watch the Broadway. He had never seen one and Rex had so he knew what he would miss.

Of course, Carter excused himself from the box, saying that he needed to go, himself, leaving Magnus to himself and walking with Rex to the men's room.

"Your friend is a very interesting man, Rex." Carter said smiling at Rex as they pushed through the somewhat crowded lobby towards the bathrooms. "I didn't know that you had more uncles. I was only aware that you had one uncle and that was Jeffery Rory."

Rex bit his lip, wanting to laugh a little. He hated the fact that he had to tell lies to his old Broadway friends but it was necessary for Magnus' cause. He couldn't exactly tell Carter or Jameson that his friend was an alien robot from a different planet. That was just asking for trouble. "Yeah. He's my uncle from my Aunt Jan's side of the family. Her big brother. I never met him before until I moved to Alabama. He's great. He's been so nice to me and kind of protective of me since we met. He's helping me learn how to live again." He told him.

Carter merely nodded with a sad smile on his face. Then he went quiet for a very long time as he looked around the lobby before they went into the bathroom.

After finishing in there, Rex was heading straight back to the box seat they were in when Carter grabbed his shoulder, pulling him to a stop. He frowned at his old friend and frowned even deeper when he saw a rather troubled look on his face. There was something bothering the man. He could see it in his eyes.

Carter was staring at the ground, with rather wide eyes and his breathing was starting to pick up. He looked almost afraid for a moment. And his hand was shaking a little on Rex's shoulder.

"Carter?" Rex asked tilting his head to the side before facing him. "Carter, what's wrong?"

For a long moment, Carter didn't say anything before he sighed a long, shaky breath. He looked regretful for a very long moment. His hand still on Rex's shoulder, he steered him away from the box seat and moved to a more secluded area of the lobby, almost near an empty hallway. There were only a few theatre workers there and probably some security guards. But none of them paid too much mind to the two.

Rex was frowning deeply as he stared bewildered at Carter. "Carter, what's going on?" He asked again. He was getting a little uneasy by now.

Again, for a moment, Carter shook his head before looking squarely at Rex, now looking very serious. "Rex," He began carefully. "Tell me the truth. Who is that man you're with?"

And Rex stiffened as he looked up at Carter with surprise. He was starting to get a very uneasy feeling off of Carter and he wasn't liking it. There was something about how his old friend was looking and gripping his shoulder rather tightly. Not painfully tight but it was tight enough to make him feel nervous. "Wha-what are you talking about? Magnus is my uncle..." He was saying.

"Don't!" Carter suddenly snapped, now giving him a very stern look. His tone had made Rex flinch a little and nearly pull away from him. "Don't you lie to me, Rex. I want to know the truth. I know very well he's not your uncle. Do you know how many people are looking for you right now, Rex? Why did you run away from home? Or did this Magnus guy kidnap you?"

Rex froze with wide eyes. 'Oh...shit.' He thought before trying to pull away from Carter. "Wh-what are you...?" He was asking.

Looking regretful again, Carter drew a shaky breath before shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Rex. But I needed the money they were offering." He then looked over Rex and nodded to someone.

And before Rex could even turn around, two hands slapped down on his shoulders, causing him to jump and spin his head around to see two security guards standing there. With them was a man in a black suit. He looked almost like some kind of Government body guard or something. Totally Men in Black style like person.

"Car-Carter, what did you do?" Rex found himself ask looking wildly at Carter who was holding out his hand to the man in black.

Carter didn't answer him as he looked expectantly at the agent looking guy, who took out an envelope from within his black jacket and slapped it into his hand. He then turned to Rex, giving him a sad smile. "I'm sorry, kid. But I'm in debt of 25 thousand dollars and they got to me. I don't know what kind of trouble you got yourself into, Rex, but I know that man you are with is dangerous. These people are going to take care of you. They will protect you from your kidnapper. And they will take him down. Don't worry, Rex. You'll be going home soon." He told the teenager before stuffing the envelope into his pocket.

Rex's heart sank while his fear shot up into his throat. He couldn't believe this. Carter was turning him in and telling him that Magnus was in trouble just like him. He knew that his old friend believed that he was in some kind of danger. But who were these people?

"No." Rex said as the security guards and the agent started leading him towards the lobby doors. "No! Carter, you can't do this! You don't know what you're doing! Magnus isn't bad! He's my friend!" He said as he began struggling against them and trying to break free.

Carter sighed, shaking his head. "No, he's not. The Government agents told me that he's a serial child kidnapper. You only think he's your friend. But he will kill you, Rex, whenever he's done with you." He told him before walking away. "I'll let Jameson know what's going on and he'll probably come pick you up from the Police station and take you home. I'm sorry, Rex."

And then he was gone.

By that time, Rex was struggling and fighting with the security. He knew very well that people were starting to look their way but the agent and the guards ignored them as they pulled him towards the doors. His eyes shot open wide when he saw a few police officers and S.W.A.T looking guys pushing into the theatre lobby now. He knew they had come to take down Magnus.

"Take it easy, kid." The agent finally spoke up, looking over his shoulder at him. "We'll take real good care of your so called friend. You should have never got mixed up with that creature. It's very bad and would have hurt you."

Again, Rex's eyes shot open wide. He understood what the agent was saying. They knew what Magnus was! They knew somehow that he was not from Earth!

"No!" The teenager yelped now jerking and pulling to get free as they went outside. He looked wildly at the silver SUV that was waiting for them at the corner before his eyes dashed towards the parking spot where Magnus' real body was parked. He had a feeling that the Autobot Commander was probably watching the new happenings outside since there were so many cop cars. And it was more than likely that his holoform was still in the box seat, waiting for him to return as he watched suspiciously around the parking lot.

And it was more than likely he was watching as a few more agent looking people as they were walking through the parking lot with some strange looking machines in their hands, scanning vehicles. They had yet to approach the large Mack truck.

But once Rex was being yanked and pulled out of the theatre, the large Semi truck gave a light jerk and the headlights flashed on to let the teen know he spotted him.

"Magnus!" Rex exclaimed as he shoved into the SUV. He was being grabbed by another agent looking man and being pinned down against the seat as the door slammed shut behind him and the vehicle started to drive out of the parking lot. "NO! MAGNUS! RUN!" He only bellowed, hoping that Magnus could hear him. He managed to spin around in the seat and look at the Mack semi as it slowly rolled backwards towards the side of the building while the agents were busy scanning the other vehicles. They had not even seemed to notice that the truck was leaving.

And then the SUV was pulling out onto the road, making Rex lose sight of Ultra Magnus.

Continuing his fight against the two agents sitting beside him and struggling to keep him still, Rex glared around the SUV at the four men in the vehicle. One was on a cell phone, talking to someone.

"This is Agent group 204 stationed in New Mexico, reporting in. We found the suspect in Sante Fe but have yet to discover the alien creature. We should have it pretty soon." The agent said.

Rex gritted his teeth as he continued to pull at the seat belt that was forced over his lap and tried shoving the agent beside him with his one good hand. It was almost impossible to fight the two men though. Especially as the other agent on his left side grabbed his left stump and squeezed it. He yelped painfully as the agent accidently hit still sore tissue with in his arm. It took him by surprise, of course and he looked almost apologetic at him as he found his grip on Rex's shoulder.

"Kid, you need to relax or we will give you sedatives. We're not here to hurt you. We're here to protect you from something very dangerous." The left Agent said, still grimacing at the fact that he had hurt the teen.

Rex shot him a very nasty look as he tried to jerk away from him. "Bullshit! He's not dangerous! Not to me, anyway! You are going to be so sorry that you've kidnapped me! Because Magnus will get you for this!" He snapped at the agent.

"Magnus? What the hell is a Magnus?" The right Agent asked, frowning.

A second later, they found out what Magnus was.

Because as soon as the SUV pulled onto an empty road that seemed to lead towards the highway, it came to a screeching halt when the driver swore loudly as a bright beam of light shone into his eyes, as well as everyone else. And that beam of light was somewhere high above the vehicle as it was.

There was a sudden crunch of metal and the glass windows shattered as something grabbed the roof of the vehicle, ripping it off. The agents and Rex cried out in shock and alarm as the SUV gave a jerk and its tires hit the pavement again after being risen off the ground. The bright light shone down on the destroyed vehicle, blinding all of them. Rex barely had enough vision to look up to see a very hot cannon pointed down at the agents and two burning blue eyes glaring down at them. A wide smile spread out on his face before he began yanking at the seatbelt and started to stand up.

However, two pairs of arms grabbed at him, trying to keep him down while guns shot up into the air pointing at Ultra Magnus. "Damn it! It's here! It's attacking us! Report it in, Jenson!" The Driver was yelling as he started to pull the trigger, shooting a few bullets off at the alien robot. The bullets, however, merely sparked against Magnus' tough armor and he snarled at the four agents, causing them to flinch back violently. It was all a ruse to catch them off guard before the Autobot Commander lashed out a hand above them.

"Rex! Come!" Magnus barked as he continued to point his cannon at the four cowering agents.

Rex quickly stood up and threw an arm around one of Magnus' thick metal fingers before he was scooped up into his large friend's hand. He merely glanced down at the agents who watched with wide eyes as he was being moved closer to Magnus' chest.

Still glaring at the shocked agents, Magnus took a step back, keeping Rex shielded in his hand just in case the four humans decided to shoot at him again. "Do not ever shoot at me again. If you hurt this boy again, you will only be signing your own death certificate." He growled before taking two thunderous steps back.

And for some reason, Rex had a feeling that he was being serious. He knew that Magnus was not obligated to harm humans by the Prime's orders but that did not mean he didn't want to. It almost shook the teenager up to think that Magnus was angry enough to want to harm humans.

After another moment of glaring at the human agents, Magnus whirled around and began running down the street, ignoring the fact that he was leaving big holes in the street from his weight.

Once a good distance away from the SUV, the Autobot Commander quickly began to transform and carefully put Rex into his cab in mid transformation before he sped down the road further away from the area where he had destroyed a human vehicle. **'Rex, are you hurt?' **Magnus finally asked through his radio system as he began speeding down the road. It was very clear that they were now being chased. There were sirens right behind them and flashing lights.

Shakily, Rex shook his head as he found Magnus' seat belt quickly restrain him safely to the seat. "N-no. Just shaken up!" He said honestly. "Who are those guys? What do they want?"

**'I don't know, Rex. But it seems that our cover has been blown. I realized something was wrong when those humans pulled up in their big black armored vehicles. I didn't think they were here for me. I had long learned that sometimes that happens when there are criminals around.' **Magnus stated before he screeched around a corner while he was being chased by police cars. **'What happened while you were away?' **

Rex's face turned sour as he gripped Magnus' seat tightly with his one hand. "It was Carter! He sold us out! He must have known that I had run away from home! There must be Government people now looking for me! He actually sold us out for money! I can't believe him!" He said, bitterly.

**'Hmm. He must only be worried about your safety, Rex. I can't say I blame him." **Magnus said, as he sped off towards the Bisti Badlands of New Mexico.

"Yeah, but that's just so not cool! You're my friend, Magnus! And he sold us out!" Rex tried to argue. He spun around in the seat to look out the window to see that there were quite a few cop cars and SUVs chasing after them now. He caught sight of a helicopter blinking in the night sky. "Man! How are we going to get away? There's too many after us!" He cried out in alarm.

In response, Magnus began to speed up to over a hundred. He had to swerve when another cop car nearly rammed into him. He was maneuvering quite well around other vehicles and speeding off the road towards the desert. **"Rex, hold on tight! I'm about to do something very drastic! And it will be very bumpy!" **He warned the teen.

And then he began to pick up his speed over rocky and bumpy terrain in the desert. He began shaking and bouncing violently as he sped over the rocky ground of the desert. Rex even bounced in his seat, making him wince as his teeth rattled in his head. In response to that, Magnus tightened the seat belt around him to keep him from jerking in his seat. He ended up having to close his eyes began he was starting to feel a little sick from all of the bouncing and shaking. Just by judging how the outside was starting to blur, Rex knew that Magnus was going too fast in the desert.

But at least the flashing lights were starting to fade away, announcing that the police cars and the SUVs were unable to keep up, more or less even follow.

Magnus was hitting some pretty nasty bumps as he cruised over rocky terrain until he dove into a canyon of some sort. His engine hissed violently as if he felt some pain from his shocks from hitting too many rough bumps. But quickly, he dove into the canyons and came to an abrupt stop within a deep dug out in the canyons, putting his rear bumper against the rocky wall and he turned off his headlights so they didn't catch any more attention.

It was soon very silent, other than his engine hissing only a little.

Rex found himself holding his breath as he heard the helicopter zooming by and then start circling the area. They could see the search light from above, searching the canyon but they didn't seem to be noticed at all from where they were hiding. It took about ten minutes before the helicopter began to die away, announcing its departure. Then Magnus let out a low groan and the entire cab shuddered, letting Rex know that something was not good with the Autobot Commander.

"Magnus?" The teenager asked, shakily as he looked at the radio system with concern. "Mags, are you okay?"

The Mack truck shuddered again before he literately sank on his axels, scrapping the rocky ground under him. There was an almost painful sigh from the Autobot as he sagged a little. **"Slaggit. I knocked some parts loose while driving out here. I know my under carriage is going to look very ugly." **He groaned, almost painfully.

Tears welled up in Rex's eyes as he covered his mouth with his one hand and he felt so guilty for what happened to Magnus. "Oh, god. You're hurt, aren't you? I'm so sorry, Magnus! This is my fault! You shouldn't have come after me if it was going to hurt you!" He said, his voice strained.

**"Oh, don't you dare feel bad, Rex." **Magnus groaned at him before his holoform sparked to life in the driver's seat. The sandy haired man he took the form of turned and gave him a weak smile.

"But..." Rex tried to argue.

Magnus shook his head at him as he turned in the seat and leaned over to place a hand onto Rex's dark head, ruffling his hair a little. "I'm okay, Rex. It's not serious. It's more like...running barefoot on rocks for me. I've only scraped up my under carriage from going off roads. It's going to take a little time to repair." He tried to reassure the boy. "Don't worry. I can repair it myself. I don't need that old grump, Ratchet to fix me."

Swallowing hard, Rex nodded as he slunk back into the passenger seat and watched Magnus grimaced as he began to vibrate a little. "Ma-Magnus, who were those guys? What did they want? Were they Government people?" He asked. "But if they were, I thought that the Autobots were working with the Government."

With a frown, Magnus shook his head and rubbed his chin. "I don't know if they were Government officials, Rex. I picked up only a little of their radio system and they didn't seem to have Government channels. I picked up a transmission saying to get you so that it would distract me." He frowned deeper and his eyes flashed almost darkly. "This is starting to get too dangerous for you, Rex. They know who you are now. And they know that you're with me."

Rex didn't like it any more than Magnus did. If some Government people knew about him and knew that they could use him against his Autobot friend, they were deeper trouble than they would have liked.


	14. Chapter 14 Navajo Cheetah

**Title: Big Bad and Red**

**Genre: Action/Drama/Friendship**

**Rating: T for some strong language, some violence, mild adult content, some crude humor.**

**Summary: Sixteen year old, city slicking orphan child, Rex Rory lives in Alabama and he has only one arm. What else can go wrong? Oh...yeah. He just met a huge alien robot that turns into a big, temperamental, red Mack semi truck.**

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~Chapter Fourteen~

_Navajo Cheetah_

* * *

**_"Dude! Are we there yet? Does anyone know where the Pit we're going?"_**A voice bellowed out from a small silver 2011 Nissan Juke that was driving behind a rather irritated hot red fire engine, which was quite the sight to see on the high way, surrounded by a few other vehicles.

A crowd of irritated sighs escaped all around the Juke, before a black, white and dark purple Dodge Charger police cruiser pulled back to drive along side the Juke, its engine growling at the irritating car. _"Quick Change! Quit talking out loud! Use your slagging communications system for Primus' sake!" _It snarled at the Juke.

The silver Juke slunked down a little on its axels, looking like it was pouting. _"Well, excuse me. But I'm just asking..." _It pouted in a male's voice over the radio system.

_"Quick Change, you've been asking that over and over since we left Nebraska! And as we keep repeating ourselves, NO! We don't know where we are going! Which is why we are following the only person who knows where the others are! And so help me, if you ask us 'Are we there yet?' one more time, I'm going to ram you!"_ growled the fire engine adding a loud angry honk at the Juke, startling human drivers that were even around the convoy of vehicles.

The Juke slunked lower, its under carriage getting dangerously too close to the road beneath it. _"Sorry, sorry. Jeez, louise. I'm just so fragging bored." _It grumbled.

A black and pink Bugatti Veyron up in the front next to a fiery red Lotus Elise sighed heavily, its sounding very feminish. It pulled back only a little as if it looked around at the Juke nearly in the back. _"I know, Change. We're all bored and we're all tired. But you have got to be patient. As soon as we find the others, we can rest and do whatever we need to do. But for now, you've got to keep quiet." _She said softly.

A rather sharp honk escaped from the fire engine again, earning more weirded out looks from humans in the next few vehicles beside it. _"Yeah, right, 'Lita. Telling that Youngling back there to be quiet is like telling Megatron to make peace with sentient beings." _He growled.

_"Will you guys knock it off already! 'Ferno, you and Quick Change are giving me a processor ache with your constant bickering and arguing! Knock it off or I'm going to shoot you!" _A sassy femme voice snapped from an icy blue Suzuki motorcycle speeding in the far back of the entire group. Beside that one was a hot pink Retro SBK which was almost identical to the blue one. Both drivers even looked a like though they wore the same colors as their bikes.

_"Whoo-hoo. 'Mia's going to shoot us. Big surprise there."_ The Juke grumbled sarcastically before yelping when the bike sped up and let its front tire rub viciously against its bumper. _"Ahhhhh! She's trying to kill me!" _And the silver Juke sped up to dash around the fire engine to be safe beside a fire red Avalanche fire truck.

Another sigh escaped both the Bugatti and the Dodge Charger Police car. They couldn't wait till this road trip of searching was finally over. Being stuck with a very immature Youngling was not very entertaining. Especially when it made it a goal to piss off the others within every hour of the day. _"I do hope we find Optimus and the others soon, because I don't know how much more of this I can take." _The red Avalanche truck finally grumbled.

_"I know, Red. But we have to make the most of it." _The Bugatti tried to reassure the truck. She then gave a light jerk when the Juke screeched its tires again when the blue motorcycle tried to go after it again. _"Guys, stop it! Quick Change, quit provoking Chromia! Chromia, quit burning Quick Change's bumper with your tires! Humans are noticing now!" _

_"Yes, my lady." _The motorcycle grumbled as she pulled back beside the pink bike, who moved a little closer as if to comfort her.

The Juke only grumbled as it remained between the Avalanche and the fire engine. It kept on grumbling, ignoring the fact that it was irritating the others again. _"Why are we even following that traitor anyway? She could be leading us into a trap." _He spoke up after a long moment of silence. He was obviously giving the Lotus a dark look from his headlights.

This earned it another cloud of growls from its surrounding comrades, though the fire engine seemed to agree with it for the first time since they began this little venture. The insult of traitor had been directed to the Lotus in the front, but it seemed to ignore the Juke.

_"Because, Change, she's the only one has been with Prime and the others. She knows where we are going. Unless you have a better idea, shut up!" _The icy blue motorcycle snarled from behind the fire engine.

A string of grumbles came from the Juke, followed by a long ten minutes of silence other than the rumbling engines of all of the vehicles. It was almost pleasant for those ten minutes before the Juke spoke up again. _"Are we there yet?" _

This resulted in loud roars from three different vehicles before there was a crunch of metal, a high pitched scream and a pair of wheels squealing as the Juke sped up past the Bugatti and the Lotus to avoid getting rammed by the fire engine again, which did give chase. The Bugatti, the Lotus Elise, the Avalanche and the pink motorcycle only sighed pitifully as they watched a fire engine, a Police cruiser, and a blue motorcycle chase after the silver Juke, bellowing out nasty threats and ignoring bewildered humans.

* * *

By morning, Rex woke with a crick in his neck and it made him groan as he rubbed at the sore spot. He twisted his head a little to relieve it before opening his eyes and blinked sleepily at the sun starting to peer through the canyon at where Magnus was still hiding. It didn't seem like the Autobot Commander was awake at all. The holoform wasn't activated and the truck's engine wasn't running. So he must have been in recharge right at the moment.

Yawning, Rex stretched a little in the seat before opening Magnus' door and getting down. He needed to relieve himself again for the morning. He made sure to go somewhere a little farther away from Magnus.

Once Rex was finished, he made his way back to Magnus, while taking the time to look around the Bisti Badlands. The coloration in the rocks were amazing and even the formations. He had never thought that he would see anything like this. It was amazing to see. Rex even picked up a small piece from the sand stone and shoved it into his pocket. He grimaced as he ran his fingers through his air, noting that it was kind of oily. "Ugh. I need a shower, man." He groaned at himself. He would definitely have to talk Magnus into stopping by a motel or something so that he could use the bathroom to clean up. He sure if he passed by a cute girl, he would definitely a nose stuck in the air.

Getting back to Magnus, however, was not hard but it surprised Rex to see that the Autobot Commander had yet to wake out of recharge. He had to grimace a little, knowing that Magnus wouldn't be sleeping this long. He knew very well that he would want to get moving on soon.

"Magnus." Rex finally spoke as he approached his large friend's grill and poked at him. He hoped that Magnus wasn't grumpy when woken up. He knew that he usually was grumpy but he just hoped that the Commander wouldn't be too irritated with him.

There was no reply.

Frowning, Rex poked the truck a little harder with his finger before he started to tap on Magnus' hood. "Mags." He said a bit louder. And his heart began to beat faster when there was still no reply. "Magnus." He began knocking on the hood now, knowing that should wake the Autobot up.

There was only a low grunt from the engine but Magnus still did not wake up. He was still as ever and it began to worry Rex.

"Magnus!" Rex said a little louder, a step down from shouting. He now felt very worried when Magnus didn't reply. "Ultra Magnus! Wake up, man! It's time to get going!"

Still no reply.

His heart skipping beats now, Rex began to pace back and forth, looking Magnus over before he hurried to the driver's side and opened it. He had quite the task stepping up into the cab before he pressed onto the horn, letting it honk very loudly. He started a little when the truck gave a light groan before he hopped back down and went back to the grill, looking wide eyed up at him.

"Magnus!" Rex now shouted before he realized something strange.

There was a strange smell right near the front of the Autobot and it brought his attention down to the ground. There was some kind of glowing green liquid dripping from under Magnus. His head tilted downward and his eyes very alert, Rex carefully bent down into a crouch and looked under Magnus. He figured it was transmission fluid but there seemed something kind of odd about the liquid. It was glowing, not just green. And it was still dripping down from under the engine. He didn't know too much about cars as it was, but it didn't look good.

Rex got down onto one knee and pushed himself a little to look under Magnus and then he found a not so good looking tear in one of the pipes under the engine. His breath caught in his throat before he jerked back out from under Magnus and he used a fist to bang on Magnus' bumper, hoping that would get his attention. "Magnus! Magnus, wake up! What happened to you?" He cried out in alarm.

Still...no reply but a grunt.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Rex exclaimed before he quickly went to the driver's side and climbed back up into the cab. He began rummaging through it, looking for anything that might help Magnus. He figured it was the gash in the under carriage that was keeping his friend in recharge.

His eyes caught sight of the hatch on the floor and Rex frowned before he grabbed it and yanked it open to take a look at Magnus' spark. He figured that might help him figure out what to do about Magnus.

But when he saw how faint the spark was glowing right at the moment, his breath caught in his throat.

"Oh, no! Magnus, what did you do to yourself?" Rex exclaimed before he shut the hatch and began frantically looking around the cab. He snatched up his bag, hoping he could find something that might help clog up the tear in Magnus' pipe. He could only find one of his long sleeve shirts and figured that would have to do right now. He didn't have anything else. He jumped back down from Magnus' cab and hurried back to get under the large truck. He grimaced a little as he had to crouch very low as he reached up with his sweater and tried to wrap it around the pipe.

A sharp sting snapped at Rex's hand once he touched the liquid making him yelp very loudly and jerk back away from it as he looked down at a now clearly burn on his hand. It almost felt like very hot oil. It was still stinging but Rex had a feeling that it was not smart to touch the liquid again.

Carefully, Rex went back to wrapping the sweater around the large pipe and tied the sleeves together once he had managed to wrap the tear. He tried very hard to avoid getting burned by the liquid again as he scooted out from under Magnus and looked up at the large grill.

"Magnus!" He shouted now pushing at the grill as hard as he could. It barely even rocked the Autobot Commander. "Magnus! WAKE UP!"

The truck finally groaned before the engine began to rumble. **"Hmm...?"**Magnus' voice finally groaned before it heaved a low sigh. **"Wha-? Rex? Re-Rex, what are you doing?"**

"Magnus! Are you okay?" Rex asked sounding very terrified as he shoved himself to his feet and looking directly at the grill. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest and it wasn't pleasant at all. He had just had a scare of his life and it wasn't cool. "Magnus, how are you feeling now?"

**"Wha...? Ohhh." **Magnus groaned before his engine rumbled even louder. **"What in the name of Primus? I seem to be very low on Energon. Slaggit." **

Rex frowned as he glanced down at the small puddle of glowing liquid before looking up at Magnus again. "Energon? You mean this glowing liquid that's dripping out of your engine?" He asked, worriedly.

There was a pause before the Autobot grunted, sounding surprised. **"What?" **He asked before there was a click. **"What the Pit? Oh, slag. It seems I have tore an Energon pipe. That's not good."** He paused again as if realizing something. **"Rex? What happened to your hand?" **

Merely glancing at the red mark on his hand, Rex shook his head before cradling it. "I touched some of the glowing liquid and it burned me." He simply stated.

**"WHAT?" **Magnus suddenly burst out before letting out a groan. He sank down a little on his wheels before his holoform flickered to life, though it seemed very faint. The sandy haired human form quickly moved to the front of his real body and dropped down into a crouch to look at his under carriage. His eyes widened to see the liquid puddle before the now slowly soaking sweat shirt belonging to his young human friend.

"Oh, slag." Magnus groaned before smacking his own head against his real body's bumper. "This ain't good." He turned and took Rex's hand, examining the light burn in his palm. "Oh...Rex, I'm sorry. The Energon burn isn't too bad and it shouldn't cause you too much trouble. It's just going to be sore for a little while." He then pushed himself to his feet, his human form starting to flicker. Even the human form seemed kind of weak as he ended up leaning against his real body. "Oh, this is going to be a real big problem."

Rex stared worriedly up at him. He didn't like the way that Magnus was looking right now. He looked very weak and tired and even sounded worst. "Magnus, what's going on? Tell me, please." He begged.

Magnus merely shook his head as he leaned against his grill. "Last night's little venture seemed to take a bigger toll on me than I thought. I punched a hole in one of my Energon pipes. Basically, it's like one of my blood veins. Energon is not only what we consume but it's our blood." He tried to explain. "To put it simply, I'm internally bleeding. That must be why I had a hard time waking out of recharge. I'm bleeding and I'm starving at the same time. I need to get this fixed and find some Energon to consume."

"O-okay. And how are we going to do that?" Rex asked nervously.

Magnus was silent for a moment before he grimaced. He didn't like the results he was giving himself. "Well, I need to find a repair shop and get repaired. But seeing that those people from last night are probably looking for us, that's going to be a very big problem. Besides, I can barely even stay awake. I won't be able to travel too far. There seems to be a town right on the other side of this canyon. I can try to get out there, but...ooh..." He groaned, his holoform starting to flicker dangerously.

Rex looked in the direction that Magnus had glanced in before he shook his head and waved a hand at him. "Magnus, I'll go to the town and find some help. You just stay here and rest." He said now hurrying to the passenger side and grabbing his backpack.

"Whoa, whoa! Wait a minute, Rex! That's too dangerous! It's about five miles away from here, from what I can sense. And we have Nemesis Strika and those humans looking for us." Magnus quickly said, trying to follow after him before slumping against his real body again. "I can't let you go alone."

Shaking his head, Rex hopped back down from the cab and looked at him. "But I have to, Magnus! You need help! And there's no way you can drive over there without passing out again!" He said, looking at him in worry. "I promise, I will be okay."

"Rex...I..." The Autobot Commander groaned before his holoform flickered right out of view. And the truck hissed a little. **"Oh, slaggit. My lack of Energon is starting to get to me." **He no doubtly looked at Rex before sighing. **"Rex, I'm not going to be able to go any where right now. I need to save as much Energon as I can to avoid going into forced recharge. But you must. Be. Careful. If you were to run into any trouble, I won't be able to come help you." **He told the young teen.

Nodding shakily, Rex understood. That meant no unsettling risks. He was to be as careful as he could going into town. And try to avoid any contact with people as much as he could. "Okay. What should I do, though? Should I get something for you? Oil? Transmission fluid? How can I help you?" He asked, still quite shaken up.

**"...Both. Oil and transmission fluid are some sources of Energon, though they're more like junk food for my kind. They are not too healthy for us but they will help. As for how to help, I need a wielder. The sooner I can patch this hole up in my pipes, the better." **Magnus told Rex.

Again, nodding shakily, Rex turned and began hurrying as fast as he could through the canyon. He could feel Magnus' hidden eyes still on him as he ran but knew very well that was all the Autobot Commander could do right at the moment. At least his sweater helped only a fracture.

'Please, please, let me do this right.' Rex could only think as he continued his jog towards the direction that Magnus had looked.

It took about two hours of crossing hot rocky terrain to even find the town that Magnus told Rex about. He was grateful to see it. But the one problem about it was that it was kind of small. So that meant he would be noticed. But all he could do was hope that he didn't attract too much attention as he headed directly for the convenient store. It seemed that oil and transmission fluid would have to be on his list first.

Unfortunately, Rex was running kind of low on money. There were only so much oil and transmission fluid that he could get at the small store. He managed to get about five 2 liters of each. He knew it wouldn't be much but it would have to do.

The next thing he had to do was see where he could get a wielder. That was going to be the hard part.

There was an autoshop in the small town of Farmington and Rex had no clue what a wielder looked like. More or less, how he was going to get one out to Magnus. His backpack was already filled with the bottles of fluid and there was no way he was going to be able to buy a wielder. Surely, that an autoshop wouldn't sell one of their weilders with such shortage of his money.

But nonetheless, peering into the autoshop, Rex did see someone using a wielder on a car. He stared at the man with the large mask over his head, mostly examining the tool that he was using. He had to wince a little to see the bright blue flames pouring out of the nozzle. It was too bright for his eyes and he had heard it was never a smart idea to look directly at the flames coming out.

Rex bit his lip as he glanced around the small garage, hoping to spot a wielder close by. He did not want to do this. But he didn't see any choice in the matter. He swore at himself for even thinking about stealing a wielder, even after he had promised himself that he wouldn't ever steal again. But this was about Magnus' life. He had to do this.

So taking a deep breath, caught sight of a small tank with a nozzle that clearly read weilder on it. That would have to do.

Rex glanced back at the man in the jump suit before he slowly crept into the garage to where the small wielder was sitting on an oil tank. He had to be careful or he was going to be in some serious trouble. His eyes continuously flickering over to the man, Rex reached towards the oil tank and grabbed the weilder before he turned sharply and started to run.

But...he ran directly into a rather big, brawny chest, causing him to bounce right off it and go sailing to the ground with a loud surprised cry.

The man he had run into was a big Indian looking guy. He was large and brawny and staring down at Rex with a raised eyebrow and his hands on his waist as if scolding him. He had long black hair, though it was braided tightly at the nape of his neck. Two hoop earrings hung on each ear with a small feather dangling from each one. The man was scolding at Rex, his mouth pursed tightly as he glared down at him.

"Uh-oh." Rex groaned before his head gave a jerk.

The other man, the one in the jump suit with the wielder had noticed the trouble and stopped doing whatever he was doing. It was an old man, Rex could see. He could have not been any older than 70 years old. His hair was steel gray, almost white and he was Native American too. He was frowning at the young teen before putting down the weilder and made his way over.

He began speaking but there was no way that Rex could understand a word he was saying. It was no doubt an Indian language he was speaking in. He could only stay against the ground, looking fearfully up at each man.

"He wants to know what you are doing." the large man Rex had ran into said, jerking his head towards the old man.

Cringing, Rex ducked his chin into his neck and looked pitifully at the man. "I...I...I'm sorry. I just...I just need to borrow this. It's...it's really important." He told him in a shaky voice, grimacing at how lame he sounded.

"For what?" The large Indian growled at him before he looked sharply at the old man when he had smacked his large chest. He then followed the pointed finger belonging to the old man and noticed that he was pointing at Rex's lack of left arm. He frowned deeply before ducking his own head to get a better look.

The only thing that Rex could do was look away in disgust. Here, it went. People were gawking at his lost left arm. "Stare away." He grumbled as he pushed himself to sit up.

And then to his surprise, the old man held out a hand towards him, offering to help him up.

Rex looked at him in surprise before he reached up and took the old Indian's hand, allowing him to pull the teen to his feet. He looked back up at the larger man, who did glance at his left stump before being polite by tearing his eyes away and looking directly into Rex's eyes. "You having car trouble then?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

And all Rex could do was nod, looking forlorn. There was no way he could get out of this now. He knew that these people would call the police now and there was no way that he could get back to Magnus to help him. It almost brought painful tears to his eyes. 'Magnus, I'm sorry.' He thought painfully.

But to his surprise, not even five minutes later, Rex had been placed into an old pick up truck with the two men and they had asked him to point out where his vehicle was at.

Forty-five minutes later, the two Indian men were looking at Magnus as he remained as motionless as he could. Rex could only hold his breath and hope that the two men didn't get too suspicious. Especially when Magnus couldn't activate his holoform to be any help. He was on his own at the moment but he knew very well that Magnus wasn't in recharge at the moment. He had locked and unlocked his doors a few times when Rex looked, getting his attention.

The two men looked the large truck over, frowning at one another and speaking in their Native language so Rex had no clue what they were saying. He had to breath sharply when the large Indian guy had found the problem and reached over to touch the glowing green liquid that Magnus had called Energon.

"No!" Rex cried out before he could catch himself before grimacing when the two men looked at him. "Uh...don't...don't touch that. It's really hot."

The large man frowned at him before looking at the older one as he found interest in staring at the Autobot insignia on the grill. They both stared at it before they began talking to one another in their language again. The old man was talking quickly and seemed rather excited about something as he gestured to Magnus, who seemed to be watching with as much interest as Rex felt. He had locked and unlocked his doors a few times to let Rex know that he was still awake.

But after a long time of speaking to one another, the large Indian fellow looked directly at the truck before cracking a smile. "Hello, Star Traveler. My father wishes to express his greetings to you. My name is Rodney Rainwater. This is my father, Little Bear Rainwater. Your secret is safe with us." He simply said.

Rex's eyes shot wide open as well as his jaw had and he almost jumped when Magnus let out a loud surprised honk, clearly jumping himself.

The old man, Little Bear, however, just laughed with his son.

* * *

**"How in the world did you know what I was?" **Magnus spoke out loud as the old man was under him, carefully wielding a square piece of metal over the tear and making sure that it was completely shut.

Not more than thirty minutes ago, Rex had tried to divert the two men's attention away from the knowledge about Magnus but the old man, Little Bear, wouldn't have it and even tried to speak to Magnus, himself. It wasn't easy because Magnus couldn't look on the Internet for what he was saying. More or less, Rodney Rainwater translated to the boy and the truck of what he had said. His father was merely stating that he knew of the Star Travelers by old Navajo stories and even having met one a very long time ago when he had only been a boy, which they happened to be Navajo, their selves.

That was what brought Magnus out of hiding and he started talking while Rodney Rainwater used a crank to lift up his front wheels so they could get under him to seal the tear.

Rex had been surprised that Magnus even wanted to start talking to these two, himself but he kept his mouth shut as he paced and forth, watching as the old man worked on the sealing. He found himself a little facinated about the whole ordeal.

But either way, there was no point keeping Magnus a secret from these two if they already knew about Cybertronians

Rodney Rainwater, who was up on a step ladder and carefully pouring oil and transmission fluid into Magnus' engine, just smiled at the windshield before going back to what he was doing. "When my father was just a young child, he saw the sky flash in the night, bright as day and saw a falling star come down in the mid nineteen-thirties. He followed the star and met a strange being made of metal. This was a Star Traveler, which nowadays is called technically aliens." He said, chuckling as he caught sight of Rex's face, who was bewildered at what was being said. "My father asked this being what he was and who he was and what he was doing there."

"What did he say?" Rex asked curiously.

Rodney just smiled at him before shaking his head. "My father's stories tended to twist a little when he told me about them as a boy but they are his favorite stories. He told us of the Star Travelers, which is this big guy, right here. He told me as a boy that the Star Traveler he met stated that he was called something very strange. There is no word in our language for it. But the closest that I could say is..." He then grimaced and looked down speaking to Little Bear in Navajo again, probably asking the old man what the name was.

The old man stopped wielding for only a second to blurt out a word that sounded oddly like Nexus.

Rex watched Magnus for his reaction but was almost surprised when there was no reaction at all. So it was obvious that name he didn't recognize. So Magnus must have not known that Cybertronian at all.

"Nexus, that's right. The Star Traveler called itself Nexus." Rodney went on to explaining before going back to pouring the oil into Magnus' engine. "Anyway, my father said in his story that Nexus had been on a journey and was rammed into by a flying star, which would be a meteor. His course brought him down to the Earth instead of him going on to whatever he was doing. He told my father that he was damaged only little before he took off for the heavens shortly after telling him his name. But he had this symbol." He said, pausing only for a moment to tap the Autobot insignia. "My father went home to sketch this symbol so that he wouldn't forget it. He showed no one because the Star Traveler asked him not to tell anyone about him. But...eventually he began telling the stories about how met one."

**"Hmm. Nexus. Nexus." **Magnus spoke up, rather thoughtfully. **"I don't recognize that name. If he had this insignia, he must have been an Autobot. But I sure didn't know him. Maybe Optimus has. I'll have to ask him about Nexus and find out what he has to say." **

Rex merely nodded before looking at Little Bear as he finished sealing up the tear and scooted out from underneath the large truck. "Thank you so much for helping us. I don't know anything about wielding so I wouldn't have known what to do to help Magnus. This is a real big help." He then dug into his pocket and pulled out the remaining of his money. He grimaced when he found out that he only had about seventy dollars left. "Um...this is all I can give you for repairing him." He said, holding it out to Little Bear.

However, Little Bear merely glanced at the money before smiling and shaking his head as he lightly pushed Rex's hand away and spoke in Navajo.

Rodney chuckled before nodding to Rex. "He says don't pay him for this. Helping a Star Traveler is all he's ever wished to do since meeting Nexus. That's why he specializes in weilding. I've tried to get him to retire from doing this but he won't hear a word of it. And I have to agree. Star Travelers are very special to our family, though not many of us believe in them. I never believed in them, myself until now." He said before emptying the last oil container before tossing it into a garbage bag in the back of his truck. "I've heard stories on the news about Star Travelers lately but I didn't think they were truth." He then climbed down from the ladder and looked directly at Rex. "But...I have seen the news about you, kid. Seems that there's a lot of people looking for you."

Rex grimaced as he glanced at Magnus, who kept very quiet about it. He then decided to lower his gaze to the ground and shake his head. "Well, since you helped me, I guess I could say something about that." He looked almost forlorn back at Rodney, shifting his weight to the other foot. "I...I'm...I'm trying to help Magnus find the rest of his people. He came down a few weeks ago but his systems were kind of damaged so he didn't know where to find them or how to contact them." He had to stop explaining when Rodney held up a hand and shook his head at him.

"Don't explain yourself to me, Rex. The less that I know, the better." The large Indian simply said. He then carefully lowered Magnus' front end so that his two front wheels were touching the rocky terrain again. "I don't know what you ran away from home but its not my business. But, it's now getting a little late and you look like you could use some food. And this Star Traveler, here," He said lightly patting Magnus' grill. "Well, he could use some rest. It's better if he didn't start driving again with a fresh wield repair. At least for a long journey. You guys better rest for the night. Why don't you come home with us and we'll give you some grub, kid? You look like you need a decent meal."

Biting his lip and liking the idea, Rex looked directly at Magnus for his opinion. He didn't want to make the decisions when it should have been the older one of them that was usually in charge.

**"Yes. We'll take up your offer. But first, I think I should ask you not to let anyone know about me. Your planet is not exactly ready to know about us." **Magnus stated.

Rodney only nodded as he stepped back up onto the ladder and carefully lowered Magnus' hood with a light click. He was being extra careful with the Autobot Commander so not to hurt him. "It's not our secret to tell. You don't want to be known, we won't say anything." He told him.

**"Then we come to an agreement." **Magnus said, sounding as if he was smiling. And his holoform flickered on, surprising Rodney and Little Bear, though the old man looked delighted to see such a thing.

* * *

The Rainwater Ranch was only a mile away from the town and it was a very nice looking place. There seemed to be kind of a tribe actually living there, though it wasn't anything that Rex had expected. There were a few cabin like houses built all over the land, announcing that there must have been five different families living there. Rodney had told them that his family owned about twenty acres of the land and it was all run by his family. They also raised and bred wild Mustanges. They were apart of one of the organizations trying to protect Mustanges from any unwanted horse killers and such.

So clearly, the Rainwater family as big.

Rex and Magnus were greeted by quite a few people in the Rainwater family. Most of them were young but there were quite a few were old. And they were all quite friendly. Rodney's wife was quite pretty. She was probably ten years younger than him and could have easily been mistaken as a Navajo super model. Her name was Shasta Clarise Rainwater and she was actually half Navajo, half Irish. So her hair was reddish brown while she had gorgeous eyes of emerald green. She welcomed Rex very warmly.

As it was, Magnus was pretending to be Rex's uncle again and neither Navajo men were going to blow his cover. Rodney had even explained to his father about their situation and Little Bear made it clear that he was not going to say anything to blow it for the two.

And to Rex's delight, he was allowed to wash up in Rodney's house. He had never felt so much better than to have taken a shower.

Of course, the down side to the entire deal was some of the Rainwater kids ended up staring at his lack of left arm, making him feel uneasy. Even here, Rex was getting stared at for his lost arm. But that was taken care of very quickly by Shasta. She scolded the children badly for their rude staring and even the kids' own parents helped scolding their children for being rude.

The kids were very excited to see a huge semi truck like Magnus though. They were not so used to seeing a massive machine like him. So more than once, Magnus' human form had to crack a wide smile when he looked over at them as they poked at his large tires and even ran their hands along the shiny metal of his frame. He was sure enjoying this, that was for sure. Rex was sure it was because to him, they were only curious Sparklings. And it made the teenager smile to see how delighted Magnus was to be surrounded by them.

That night, the Rainwater family decided to have a big bon fire, that way they could tell night stories and eat Navajo tacos, which Rex found that he began to love. The only one who did not eat, of course, was Magnus, though Shasta did give him food anyway, which he carefully handed over to Rex when no one was looking and the teen ate it all until he was stuffed.

For the special occassion, Little Bear told his story of the Star Traveler, Nexus. Down to the basics, it was just the same story that Rodney told Rex and Magnus about and it was nothing really different from what they already learned.

"Magnus," Shasta finally spoke up as she sat on Rodney's lap and looked at Magnus' human form from over the fire. "Do you have any stories you could tell us?"

Magnus grimaced but shook his head. "No. Not really. I'm really not much of a story teller. You're asking the wrong guy." He said, keeping a smile on his face.

Shasta merely nodded before looking at Rex, who was staring deeply into the large fire sitting in the middle of nearly twenty people; adult and children in all. She looked almost hesitant about what to say to him but then she sighed softly. "Rex, many of the children had been asking me to ask you about..." She cut herself off, grimacing. "Well, they want to know about your arm and why it's missing. I told them not even ask you but I'm actually curious, myself."

Rex sat there for a moment, merely glancing at her before his face grew rather solemn. He didn't really want to tell them about why his arm was gone but they had been so kind to him and Magnus. He didn't even know what he could say. Except, he could just tell the truth. "Almost a year ago," He began in a quiet voice, before clearing his throat. "My parents were in Broadway in New York. My mom was a big star in the Company. She...she was very a very beautiful singer and dancer and she almost became a movie star. Some guys from Hollywood actually wanted to make a deal with her to bring her onto the big screen." He paused for a moment to glance around when he realized exactly how quiet it had gotten. Every eye was on him and some of the adults were already looking sympathetic. They had caught the keywords; was and were.

One of the Rainwaters were translating what Rex was saying quietly to Little Bear and he was looking very thoughtful, not sympathic. And Rex was very glad for that. It had enough sympathy to serve him a life time as it was.

Again, the teenager cleared his throat. "Mom...she got the deal and we were going to move to California for it. But that night..." Tears were already stinging Rex's eyes and his throat started to thicken. "My mom, my dad and me celebrated a little and then were going home. But it was raining really hard and there was construction going on during the storm. I didn't like it and I kept asking Dad to move away from the site. He couldn't. There were too many cars and there wasn't anything he could do." He paused for a moment as a sob threatened to break out but he looked up when Magnus' hand dropped down onto his back, trying to be comforting. He had to weakly smile at his friend for that. He was very grateful for Ultra Magnus' comfort. "The accident happened pretty quick after that. A few tons of metal beams broke off the chain that was loaded on a crane fell on top of our car. They crushed my arm and it had to be amputated." He sniffed heavily as a few tears escaped down his cheeks and he tried to speak again, but his words were caught in his throat. He had to cough to clear it again. "The beams killed my parents instantly though. They didn't suffer at all. Which was good." He said, trying to make it sound bright but it failed.

Quite a few Rainwater women were crying with their hands over their mouths. Their hearts were going out towards Rex and for the first time since his parents' death, he felt grateful them. Even the men were looking very solemn. Even some of the kids who actually understood what Rex was talking about looked like they were going to cry for him. They were probably putting their feelings in Rex's shoes, imagining what would have happened if it had been their parents instead of his own.

With a shaky breath, Rex shrugged as he wiped one of his cheeks free from his tears and he tried to smile, though it was clear that it was fake. "That's how I lost my arm. And my parents." He said quietly.

For a long moment, no one spoke as a few women covered their faces with their hands in their grief for Rex.

But what surprised Rex and everyone around the fire was the fact that he began humming something. It took him a moment to realize that he had started to hum but then he realized that it was "Slipping Through My Fingers" from Mama Mia. He couldn't find himself to stop humming it though until it actually turned into words and he actually started singing the song. It was his song with his mother. The one where Marion Rory had always substituted the words her and she for him and he.

Everyone listened to Rex as he sang the song softly. He couldn't even find himself to stop singing it softly. And while doing so, he became very aware that he was not the only one that was singing it. He tilted his head towards the other voice and realized that Magnus was actually doing it too. And he did not have a bad voice for singing at all. He was actually pretty good. He realized that Magnus must have gotten the lyrics off what limited Internet access he had. But he felt so glad that his Autobot friend was joining him so that he wouldn't be embarrassed at the end.

And for a moment, Rex could actually hear his mother's voice singing to him from the stars and it brought a wave of peace over him.

But by the time the song was even over, Rex became aware that everyone in the circle were smiling, having enjoyed to hear it. Even Little Bear was smiling and he didn't even understand English that much.

"That was mine and mom's song. It was from the musical, Mama Mia." Rex stated after a long silence. "That was the last Broadway show that mom even performed."

Shasta Rainwater smiled softly before she pushed herself off of Rodney's lap and walked over to where Rex was sitting. She surprised him by wrapping her arms around the teenager and giving him a light hug before kissing him on the forehead. "You have a great talent there, Rex. Your story of yourself is sad but great altogether. I don't know it completely but I can see great strength in your eyes. You have journeyed well in your life and your journey is not over. It's just beginning." She spoke softly as she crouched in front of him, looking deep into his eyes. "You have a great heart, I can see. And you are very special, Rex. No matter what happens in your life, tomorrow, the day after. Or after that day, don't ever give up on yourself. You must always believe in yourself. With or without your arm." She said gently as she pressed her cool fingers against Rex's left stump. "And I know that within your heart, your parents live forever."

Rex looked right back at her but his mouth turned into a smile as he looked grateful for her words. He nodded only once. "Thanks, Shasta." He said softly.

And then Little Bear began to speak in his language, making everyone look at him. The Rainwater seemed to agree with what he said because they were all smiling and nodding. But it was clear to Rex and Magnus that it was the young teen he was even speaking about, or too. The old man was still watching Rex carefully with his aged eyes.

Once Little Bear had finished, Rodney looked directly at Rex, smiling as his wife went back over and sat down on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist and let her head lean back onto his shoulder as they both looked at Rex and Magnus. "Father Little Bear basically said the same thing as Shasta just did. But," He let his eyes flicker over to Magnus, who straightened a little. "He also said that it seems that your destiny is a great one, Rex. Your destiny has lead you down a road that only you can take. You have met...someone very unusual, yet he seems to have sworn to protect you from any danger. Little Bear says that there is a bond he can see between you two that is strong as steel. No one will ever be able to break your chain of friendship. And no one will ever endanger this boy while you look after him." He said directly to Magnus, who merely looked curious.

"Is your father...a Seer?" The Autobot Commander asked very innocently.

And with that, everyone around the circle cracked up with hard laughter. They obviously had found great amusement in his words. Rex even had to laugh while Magnus just looked around the circle, almost bewildered by their laughter. He had actually been serious but it was funny anyway.

* * *

It was exactly at dawn when Little Bear shook Rex awake from the guest bed that Rex was sleeping in that night. It had surprised him a little when he had been awaken but it seemed that Little Bear really wanted him to wake up. He wouldn't stop lightly shaking him until the teen finally sat up, rubbing his eyes with his fingers. The old man motioned for him to rise and get dressed.

So with a tired sigh, Rex climbed out of the bed and got dress. But before he actually left the guest room, he made the bed just to be polite. He had been taught that by his Aunt Jan to always make his bed before leaving for the day.

Heading outside, Rex almost was surprised to see that there were other people up and had to smile when some of them greeted him with their own smiles and waves. He returned them before noticing that Little Bear was standing off near Magnus with his holoform. Rodney was also there with them, though he looked just as tired as Rex had felt. He offered the teen a warm smile when he approached them. In one of his hands, he had a small cooler.

"Morning. Did you sleep well?" The large Navajo asked gently.

'Well, I could have slept a little longer.' Rex thought with a smile but instead he nodded and gave the man a grateful look. He was only so happy that Rodney had even let him sleep in one of his guest rooms of his own house. "Yeah. Thanks. It was great, actually." He stated before looking around at Magnus then to Little Bear. "What's going on?"

Rodney shook his head as he gave his aged father an almost playfully scolding look. "Don't know. Little Bear hasn't exactly said so. He just wanted you and Magnus to be up a little before Dawn. He wants to show you two something. He won't say what it is though." He said, sounding a little grumpy. "And of course, I'm here to translate."

Magnus tilted his head as he gave Little Bear a curious look before looking back at Rodney. "I'm curious. Why doesn't he speak in English? Has he not learned the language?" He asked, curiously.

A snort escaped Rodney as he glanced almost sarcastically at his old father before nodding. "Oh, believe me, Magnus. He knows English. He understands it. He just hates speaking it. He's kind of one of those traditionalists who thinks we should stick to our own language cultures. I think he likes the sound of our own language that's why he blocks out most of the English words and never speaks them. It's like..." He paused to think for a moment. "How can I put this? It's like tasting something so delicious and never wanting to taste anything else. Our Navajo language is his delicious taste. He won't taste anything else." He explained.

Rex understood it in a way. And he knew that Magnus did to because he was nodding. In a way, he wondered if his alien friend was the same way. He knew that Magnus must have missed his own language, which he did remember very well what it sounded like.

"Anyway, let's get going. Magnus, you can follow behind our truck with Rex. All I know about where we are going is over the New Mexico and Colorado state border line. I know it's a little out of your destination but Little Bear really wants to show you whatever is over there." Rodney stated before smiling as he held up the cooler and offered it to Rex. "This is for you. Shasta made you some breakfast. It's mostly just a bowl of fruit and a bottle of orange juice but we also decided that you should have this."

Feeling extremely happy, Rex took the cooler with a grateful look. He never felt so happy to what kindness that these people were giving him. And they had nearly been complete strangers when they met. Now, he felt as if they were the closest friends he had besides Magnus. "Thank you." He told Rodney, who nodded.

And soon, they were off.

It wasn't exactly the route that Rex and Magnus would have taken in the first place but they figured that it would be interesting. Especially if it was something that Little Bear wanted to show them. And they did have some time before they needed to get back on the road. They did want to get back on with their search for the other Autobots but it would be okay if they took a side trip. They sure seemed to be doing that quite a lot on their journey.

Before leaving Farmington, they had stopped by the Gas station to fill up the tanks, which was a big thing for Magnus. He was still a little weary from the day before's little adventure and he could have used some more energy source for his Energon tanks. So it was a relief for him.

And then they were on their way again.

It was nearly a four hour drive across the borders of New Mexico and into Colorado. The pick up truck with Little Bear and Rodney was right ahead of Magnus and it did seem that they were taking a small back road instead of one of the major high ways. So it was obvious that they were trying to avoid any major traffic. Rex and Magnus both had an idea of why.

For a long time it seemed that they drove but it seemed to pay off. The Colorado scenery was quite pretty for Rex. He could see a high mountain far off in the distance and mountains were not something he got to see very often. He even got see some deer along the way and that really got him excited. He hadn't seen very much deer either. He smiled brightly at Magnus, who did seem a little awed by the mountains, himself. He wouldn't stop staring at them as he followed after the two Rainwaters.

And finally, they reached some kind of valley between two high mountains. It was really sandy out there, just by looking at it.

Judging by the burnt roadside map they had, Rex noticed that they were in the Great Sand Dunes between the Juan Mountains and the Sangre de Cristo. This should have been interesting. Rex hadn't seen sand dunes before either and they were sure very high. And by the looks of it, that was where Little Bear was heading towards.

It didn't take long for them to even reach the sand dunes before they stopped at the foot of the dunes. Little Bear and Rodney immediately gotten out of their truck and moved around to the front. They waited for Rex and Magnus' human form to join them before they started leading them up to the path to the sand dunes. It was to their luck that the path was not soft but hard so that no sand would get into their shoes, or at least Rex's. He was the only one that was wearing tennis shoes while the two Navajo men were wearing hiking boots. Magnus was only a holoform so it didn't matter to him if he got sand in his boots or not.

It was about a ten minute walk to where Little Bear was leading them. He spoke no words as they walked but only a few times Rex did try to ask Rodney where they were going. All he got was a pointed finger towards the top of the sand dune.

So they just walked on without another word.

Finally, Little Bear stopped on top of the dune, which was fairly big. They could almost see the entire small valley from the top. As it was, Magnus' form was starting to flicker because he couldn't move too far away from his real body. Rodney had noticed but Rex reassured him of what the problem was. So they had no choice but to stop where they were.

For a moment, they just stood there before Little Bear turned to Rex and Magnus and began to speak in Navajo. He must have said something very interesting because even Rodney frowned at him and spoke right back to him. They exchanged a few words with one another while Rex and Magnus glanced at one another in curiousity. They had no idea what was going on at all. Why had they been brought here? What was there to see out in the middle of nowhere? Sure the mountains were very nice. The valley was a pretty sight. But the two weary travelers weren't exactly on a road trip and they did need to get back on the road soon.

But then finally Rodney and Little Bear stopped arguing with each other and turned back to the other two. And Rodney looked a little flustered about something. "My father says that we're standing on top of what he needs you to see." He said simply before looking down at the dunes under their feet. "He says that there's a Star Traveler here. He found it about fifteen years ago and just left it there because he thought it was dead. It wasn't moving or anything."

Immediately, Rex and Magnus' faces jerked downward to see what they should have been looking for but they didn't see anything but the sand. They frowned at the two Navajo before looking down again.

"Ah...where is it?" Rex asked, sounding rightfully confused. "I don't see it. Is it buried?"

Rodney nodded only once as he bent down to a crouch and began shoving sand aside with his hand. He dug a little deep, pushing as much sand as he could to the side but digging in sand was very difficult.

With a grunt, Magnus finally shook his head before he flickered right out of view, startling Rodney a little. He looked around for where Magnus might have went before looking at Rex. "Where did he go?" He asked, catiously. Rex could only shake his head before his eyes snapped wide open.

Just at the foot of the Great Sand Dunes there was a loud click, causing all three to turn sharply only to freeze.

The large red Mack was now starting to move and shift into his transformation. This would be the first time for Little Bear and Rodney to actually see a Cybertronian transform. So this was quite the sight for them to see as Magnus's real body shifted and twisted until he was standing in his prime as a giant alien robot. Rex had to smile as he glanced up at Rodney and Little Bear to see the surprise and awe on their faces as the Autobot Commander turned and started walking up the sand dunes towards them. It wasn't easy for a lumbering giant like him to get up on the sand but he managed.

Now towering over the three humans, Ultra Magnus motioned for them to step aside, which they quickly did. Once they moved, he began scooping sand to the side, away from Rex, Rodney and Little Bear.

It only took a few moments before his metal fingers scraped against something and it only took about ten feet deep hole before he found it.

With a frown, Magnus shoved the sand to the side, brushing it all off of whatever it was buried deep within the dunes. He had to grumble a little when the sand kept falling back into place but he did he best to remove it all. And finally, he uncovered the thirteen foot Cybertronian buried within the sand dune, making him frown.

It surprised even Rex to see it, more or less to see one that was actually kind of small. He had thought that most of the Autobots and Decepticons were very large but this once, it looked like a robotic animal, though. It was very slender built though, not at all like Magnus. In fact, it kind of looked like a large robotic cat. More like a large spotted cat, or maybe a cheetah of some kind. It's color was a faded yellow with black spots all over it. Rex couldn't tell if it was its natural color of if it had been in battle before it ended up crashing in this place.

"Oh!" Magnus suddenly blurted out, looking rather surprised. He even drew back a little as he looked down at the small Cybertronian.

"Magnus, who is that?" Rex asked, now moving a few steps forward to study it. He held his breath for a moment, thinking it could have been a Decepticon but he let it all out when he spotted the Autobot Insignia imprinted right on its head. "It's an Autobot!"

Magnus nodded once before he reached down and dug his fingers under the small Cybertronian and lift its head up a little to get it loose from all of the sand. He began looking it over, as if searching for any life signs or injuries. There was a pretty big dent in some of its armor and it was rather dirty. It must have been buried there for a good few years or maybe even a few decades. It didn't look alive.

But to find out if it was truly alive, Magnus pressed his fingers against the Autobot's chest plate and was rewarded with a light click. He carefully pried the chest plate open and they got to see if its Spark was intact.

It was.

The Spark was glowing very gently but was not as active as Magnus' had been when he revealed it to Rex. But it was clear that this Autobot was alive. It wasn't waking out of its recharge though. Its eyes were very dark and Rex knew that it had be in recharge.

"Magnus, is it okay? What is it? Who is it?" Rex ended up asking again.

With a frown, Magnus just closed the Autobot's chest plate before poking around at its head before letting a beam of red light flash over its entire body frame. "His name is Cheetor, an Autobot Scout. He's what we've called a Maximal, Autobots who take on animal forms. I did not know him very well other than he is a very young Autobot. He's about the same age as Bumblebee is. All I knew of him was that he was young and rambuncious. He went missing off of Cybertron some time after the All Spark was launched out into space. He must have gone after it and ended up here." He glanced down at Little Bear and Rodney as they decided to move close too. "I'm checking his entire frame for any injuries and it seems that all he has is some dents. He must have crash landed here and ended up in forced recharge. That's normally what you would call a coma. He just hasn't woken from it because his Energon is low." He said before he reached up and opened up his chest plate, getting into it. He pulled out Rex's backpack that was lodged within his cab and held it out to the young teen. "Rex, please get out some of the bottles of oil that we still have."

Rex nodded as he quickly got into the bag and grabbed some of the oil containers, letting his bag drop to the ground. He looked up at Magnus, who motioned for him to climb down into the hole. The young teen merely nodded before sliding down onto the Autobot's chest and awaited for further instructions.

"Just pour the oil down into his mouth." Magnus simply told him.

Again, Rex nodded before approaching the Autobot's head while untwisting the cap. He was a little nervous about this bit. He just hoped that the Autobot wouldn't wake up so suddenly and throw him off of him. But biting his lip, the teen began pouring oil down the slightly open hole that seemed to be the mouth. He couldn't help but hesitate when he did see some pointed metal within its mouth. It had some pretty sharp teeth, as he could see. He glanced up at Magnus, who seemed to realize his apprehension. He gave him a light nod to continue.

So Rex went back to pouring the oil down the small Autobot's throat, almost waiting for a sudden reaction.

And so as it was, there came a vibrating from within the Autobot's chest and it began to rumble a little. There was even a staticky noise before Rex realized that its eyes were now flickering rather quickly. It almost looked like it was rapidly blinking like shutters of a camera constantly taking pictures.

Finally, the eyes flashed on and Rex stepped back quickly before it began to shift and nearly knock him right off of it. He was only too glad when Magnus caught him from falling onto his back and bring him away from the awakening Autobot.

There came a series of metallic clicks and gargles before the Autobot began to look around. It froze when it saw Magnus hovering over him before it suddenly let out loud snarl before bolting away from him. It had moved so quickly that Rex was so startled to even seen it so fast. It scooted across the sand away from Magnus and the three humans before spinning around to reveal that it baring those metal fangs at them. It was growling as it looked up at Magnus, who merely frowned at it with a raised metal eyebrow.

Rodney and Little Bear had backed away until they were nearly behind Magnus. They did not want to be attacked by this thing. But unlike one another, Rodney looked almost terrified while Little Bear looked calm. He didn't seem to afraid of this robotic feline. Rex, however, was like Rodney. He was staring wide eyed at the young Autobot, gripping at Magnus' fingers as tight as he could with his one arm.

"Cheetor, stand down!" Magnus barked, giving the Autobot a very stern look.

A growl was the only answer before it slowly died down and the young Autobot's head came up, studying Magnus carefully. It then looked very surprised as it shifted its weight so it didn't look like it was going to attack any more. "Huh?" It said, almost stupidly before its eyes brightened as it recognized the Autobot insignia. It's voice was rather young and teen like. So it couldn't have been too old at all. And it seemed that Cheetor now recognized the much bigger Autobot. "You...you're Ultra Magnus!"

Magnus merely nodded as he carefully set Rex back down beside Rodney and Little Bear, who watched cautiously. "Yes. It is I, Ultra Magnus, Autobot Commander of the Combatants. Stand down, Cheetor." He said a little more softly before glancing at the three humans when the young Autobot eyed them with suspicion. "These are humans of the Planet Earth. Meet the youngling, Rex Rory. The older two are Rodney and Little Bear Rainwater. They are allies."

Still looking a little suspicious, the young robotic feline moved a little foreward, almost studying the three humans before looking back up at Magnus who hovered right above him. "Where are we? You said that this Planet is called Earth, yes?" He asked, cautiously.

"Affirmative. We are currently on Earth in what they call a state designated Colorado." Magnus stated as he stood up, towering over Cheetor. "Did you not know where you landed when you came Earth Bound?"

The young Autobot shook his head as he sank down on his haunches, still a little ways from Rex and the two Navajo. "No, sir. Before I came Earth bound, I was struck by something. My memory banks actually missed it but it was very big. I was forced into recharge after being struck. I didn't even have a chance to readjust my reconstructure system so that I could be prepared for the atmosphere of this Planet." He then glanced around, stretching out his scanning radar. "I sense no other Autobots. Are you the only one here?" He asked, frowning.

Magnus shook his head as he stared down at the robotic feline. "No. I am not the only one on Earth. A lot of things have happened over the few years. But it seems that you've been out of commission for quite a while. What's the stardate you last remember before you crashed?"

Cheetor made a face in his robotic way before shaking his head. He looked rather gloomy at the very thought. He even looked himself over, his bright blue eyes flickering as if he was searching for something. "I...I can't seem to find my data banks. It seems that whatever has struck me in what seemed to be the Earth year of 1912 has damaged them. I have taken quite some damage and there's dirt in my joints." He grimaced nastily as he stood up and tried to shake like a real cat to free himself of dirt. He wasn't very successful. "It seems that my communications is still in tact. There's a limited distance of how it will go, but if there are any Autobots in a hundred mile radius, I will be able to contact them."

Rex finally found the courage to move a little closer and jolted to a stop when Cheetor's head jerked in his direction, looking not so nice.

Of course, Magnus then lowered himself to his knee again and thrust out his hand between him and the young Autobot as if protecting the teenage human from the sharp glare that had been shot at him. He even gave Cheetor a very stern look when he looked surprised. "Cheetor, you will be nice to this boy. He is a very good friend of mine. He has been assisting me to finding Optimus Prime and the other Autobots." He nodded once when the young Scout looked brightened. "They are here. The war is considered over for now because Megatron has been deactivated. There are only a number of Decepticons still on Earth, but they are not really a threat. Earth's Governments have granted us asylum on their planet. Basically, Earth has become our new home until we can find away to revive our own Planet of Cybertron." He explained.

"Um...I'm guessing we're not exactly needed here any more, are we?" Rodney asked, still a little edgy about the new robot they just met.

Magnus, Rex and Cheetor looked at Rodney and Little Bear, who did look quite interested but antsy at the same time. And both, Autobot Commander and teenager smiled faintly at them and nodded. "Thank you for your help. And thank you for showing us where Cheetor was. I am very much grateful towards you for your kindness." Magnus stated.

Both Navajo merely smiled and nodded as they started towards the path that would lead down to their truck. "It is no problem, Magnus." Rodney said in a kindly way. "At least my father has fullfilled one of his dreams of helping Star Travelers such as yourself and your friend." He motioned to Cheetor, whose long metal tail twitched around its clawed feet. He then looked directly at Rex, smiling at him. "Take care of yourself, Rex. And Magnus, you watch over this boy." He then pointed to the road they had been on. "Take that road to the west. It'll lead right to Route 25. It's a little out of your way but it's better than back tracking. That way you can avoid whoever you're trying to avoid. Take it all the way to Denver and get on Route 70, which will take you straight into Utah. From there, you should be all right." He told them.

Again, Magnus and Rex gave him a grateful look and nodded. "Thanks, Rodney. When we get to Nevada, we'll give you a call and let you know we arrived safely." The teenager said gratefully. He then looked right at Little Bear, giving him an equally grateful look. "Thank you, Little Bear."

The old man gave him a gentle smile before nodding. "You're welcome, Rex." He said in clear english before he turned and walked down the path, leaving a rather astonished teenager. And not long after, Rodney and Little Bear drove away, heading back towards New Mexico.

For a long few moments, the two Autobots and the young human teen just stood there, watching as the truck vanished in the distance before they looked at one another. Cheetor then smiled a crooked smile and twitched his head, which was kind of cute of him. "So, Ultra Magnus, sir. Mind filling me in on what's going on?"


	15. Chapter 15 Second Sign of Trouble

Title: Big Bad and Red

Genre: Action/Drama/Friendship

Rating: T for some strong language, some violence, mild adult content, some crude humor.

Summary: Sixteen year old, city slicking orphan child, Rex Rory lives in Alabama and he has only one arm. What else can go wrong? Oh...yeah. He just met a huge alien robot that turns into a big, temperamental, red Mack semi truck.

* * *

~Chapter Fifteen~

_Second Sign of Trouble_

* * *

It wasn't long before they were on the road again, this time with an extra traveler with them. Rex was finding Cheetor very interesting as he listened to Magnus explain to him about the situation. He almost laughed a few times when the young Autobot suddenly cut off the Autobot Commander to ask a question, and irritating the large guy. He was very curious and rebellious at the same time, he could tell. Cheetor hadn't liked the fact that he had to climb up into Magnus' large cab, pretty much stuffed between the seats. And it was a tight fit too, causing the young Autobot to continuously muttering his displeasure of this idea. He would have preferred just running alongside the large semi truck instead. But that would have looked very odd to the public so he was forced to sit in Magnus' cab with Rex.

During the drive towards Denver Colorado, Cheetor learned everything he needed to know about their little trip. He learned about how Ultra Magnus even came to Earth and even before he did. He had nearly had a Spark attack to learn that the war was pretty much over because of Megatron's destruction all at the hands of a human, which Magnus couldn't tell the youngling who was responsible.

Cheetor even learned a little bit about Rex's story and he gave the young human a very soft look for it. Rex just felt happy that he finally got to meet another Autobot. He sure liked the young Scout. He learned that Cheetor was quite confident in himself and perhaps a little too over confident. He kept on bragging about how he could have taken Megatron himself, which Magnus finally told him to shut up because it was nonsense. He also had a habit of starting to talk a little too fast because he loved speed. It almost became impossible to understand him when he started talking and more than once, Magnus had to bark at him to slow it down.

However, it wasn't even an hour before something happened.

As Magnus approached a very big bridge called the Royal Gorge Bridge, he began to slow down when they noticed a few cop cars stationed at each end of the bridge. They were stopping cars and talking to some of them before waving them on through. This did not look good at all.

"Uh-oh." Cheetor was the one who said it first before he slinked down behind the seats as low as he could.

Rex even sank down a little in his seat as he looked around with wide eyes. He didn't like this at all. What was going on? Did some kind of accident happen? Or were they looking for them? He didn't see any Government people among some of the cops checking the vehicles. It was just the police. "Magnus, what's going on?" He found himself whisper.

The sandy haired holoform shook his head as he looked around cautiously and creeped slowly with the little traffic approaching the large bridge. He was going to have be on his full guard while here. The first sign of trouble he saw, that involved them, he knew he would have to book it. And driving out in the desert like the last time was not going to happen. "I don't know, Rex. But I don't like it. Put on your jacket and pull up your hood. They may be looking for you. It could be possibly those people that tried to abduct you the night before." Magnus told him.

Rex nodded quickly before quickly getting into his bag and pulling out his dark grey hoodie and slipped it on. He made sure to pull the hood over his head, as if he was a disgruntled teenager who was on a road trip with his dad and didn't like it. "Should I pretend to be asleep?" He asked in a low voice.

Magnus only nodded as he sat up straighter in his driver's seat and tried to look as relaxed as he could. "Yes. Do that. Cover your head with an arm as if blocking out the sun from your face." He added as they approached the bridge. He was starting to slow to a halt because there was a police officer waving at him to do so.

And quickly, Rex did as he was told while Cheetor just remained ducking very low to the ground behind the seats. He did his best to keep his left arm hidden from view by turning into the seat, pretending to snuggle into the seat. All he and Cheetor could do was listen.

"Is there a problem, officer?" Magnus asked, looking down at the police officer who was stepping up on the steps next to the window. He was just trying to be as humanly casual as he could. "What's going on?"

The police officer, a man, just shook his head as he gripped Magnus' mirror and looked into the cab at the driver and the boy 'sleeping' in the passenger side. His eyes narrowed a little, as if suspicious before he looked directly at Magnus' human form. "Where you headed, sir?" He asked, ignoring Magnus' question.

Magnus merely shook his head as he tried to put on an innocent act. "We're headed to Denver to pick up a delivery trailer. I thought I'd take my son with me since he needed to get out of the house and do something besides getting into some trouble." He said, merely glancing at Rex. "All he's been doing so far on this trip is sleeping."

The officer merely nodded as he stared at Rex's 'sleeping' form before he glanced around the cab again as if looking for something suspicious. But then he decided to take a step down and move back. "Sorry for the trouble. We're actually looking for a couple of criminals who's been on the run. Just be careful, sir. They may be armed and dangerous." He told him.

"Armed and dangerous?" Magnus asked, trying to look very concerned.

The officer nodded as he made a face. "Yeah. Seems the Government is searching for them. They say that to be on the lookout for anyone suspicious. But they haven't even given us any real information. We don't even know what we're looking for. Damn Govs. They never tell us anything." He complained, now waving the truck on.

Magnus merely chuckled and started to drive on with a wave to the cop. He drove very slowly though, still keeping an eye out for anything that might seemed to be out of place. He merely glanced over at Rex when he started to lower his arm from his head. "Rex, stay asleep until we get free of the bridge." he said very quietly.

And Rex did.

"What about me?" Cheetor's voice quietly from behind the seats.

"Just stay down until I say so." Magnus said, his voice rather gruff as he slowly drove over the extremely large bridge.

It was covered with police men, watching the cars drive by. They didn't stop any of the vehicles but merely watched them go by. A lot of them did not look very happy to even be there. They just looked as grumpy as the first officer had been. But there was no clue of what they were looking for. But Magnus was very sure, and so was Rex, that it was them. It only surprised them that no one seemed to realize that.

It was about five minutes of driving across the bridge before Magnus got to the other side. There were quite a few officers on that side too and they were doing exactly the same thing to any cars that were going the other way. Rex finally decided to take a quick peek through his arm to see what was going on and he found an interesting sight. There were quite a few police officers just standing around but among them, he spied someone that did stand out pretty well. Two of them actually were talking to another and they weren't wearing any uniforms like the police were. Maybe one of the men was wearing a suit but the other man was wearing casual black dress pants and a white shirt that wasn't buttoned up completely.

But the third of the group was a woman with brick red hair spilling around in thick curls to her lower shoulder. She was wearing a rather skin tight outfit that Rex couldn't decide if it was a one piece or what. But one thing was for sure, she was very pretty. Pretty enough to make Rex's head come up a little and stare at her until she seemed to have sensed his eyes because turned in his direction and he quickly ducked his head back down.

For a moment, Rex kept his head ducked down under his arm before he dared to get another peek and he froze.

The woman was looking in his direction still. She actually seemed to be staring at Magnus, her eyes narrowed almost suspiciously. She wasn't even listening to the two men she was with, who did seem to be arguing with one another. She just stared at the big truck for a very long time before her eyes flickered to the window and she caught Rex's eyes. Again, Rex froze but this time he couldn't help but stare right back at her. He watched as her brow furrowed and her mouth parted a little as she stared at him. She seemed confused for a moment, as if she recognized him from somewhere but she couldn't remember from where. But then her eyes flashed and she jerked her head looking right at her two male companions, saying something that made their heads jerk in the direction of the big truck.

"Magnus! Go! We've been spotted!" Rex cried out as he sat up quickly and jerked to look at the holoform.

Of course, Magnus must have heard the woman's shouts, himself because he slammed on his gas pedal and dove right around the cars right in front of him, narrowly missing a few other vehicles. There were shouts of surprise from people and startled honks from the other drivers but at least Magnus didn't injure anyone.

"AH!" Cheetor yelped as he ended up banging against the seats before he sat up and looked wildly around. "What's going on?"

Neither one, Magnus or Rex said anything as the large Autobot sped right off the bridge, past shouting police. They could already hear sirens from behind them, alerting them that they were now being chased. Rex could see flashing lights in the mirror as he made sure that his seat was buckled. He didn't have to look back to see the platoon of cop cars on their tail.

"Slaggit!" Magnus growled as he kicked his speed up, dodging around a few other cars that were on the high way. "I didn't want this to happen!"

Rex looked wide eyed up at him as he gripped Magnus' seat. He knew that the Autobot Commander was angry and he couldn't blame him. He had wanted to avoid any trouble dealing with humans. But it didn't seem that they were giving him any choice at all. It was against his protocol to engage with the humans as it was. But here, he was. Being chased by the humans.

Somehow, Rex knew it was his fault. The police and those people must have been chasing them because of him. They must have thought that he had been kidnapped. It was the only logical explanation. "I'm sorry, Magnus! This is my fault!" He yelped as Magnus hit a bump in the road, dodging around another vehicle.

"Don't say that, Rex! It's not you that they're after! I picked up some of what those humans had been saying! They were saying something about finding the alien in low voices and it must be me!" Magnus said as he jerked around another vehicle. "I don't know what these humans want, but it's more than likely they are not working with Optimus and the Autobots or the Government that are working with them!"

"Ultra Magnus, sir! Why don't we just engage with them! We can take them out!" Cheetor yelped as he tried to brace himself from getting thrown around in the back.

Magnus' human form shot him a look from over his shoulder before looking forward again to concentrate on escaping from the human pursuers. "Because Optimus said not to in his transmission, Cheetor! We are not allowed to harm humans!" He barked as he kicked up his speed. He needed to get away as soon as he could.

Rex could see Magnus' eyes flickering everywhere and he knew that he must have been looking for some cover where they could find a quick hiding spot. It wasn't going to be easy at all to find somewhere they can attempt to hide from them. It wasn't going to be easy because there were just too many police officers chasing after them.

Suddenly, Magnus gave a violent jerk, slamming on his brakes, startling Rex and Cheetor. They had no idea why he was suddenly stopping with the police swerving all around them to avoid running right into his back end before something even bigger than them slammed into them just to get to Ultra Magnus. Cars went flying across the roads when the smoky gray Monster truck slammed into them before she started to transform very quickly. Magnus' doors flew open and the two younglings didn't need to be told twice what to do.

Rex and Cheetor quickly dove right out of the large red truck, nearly having to barrel roll to avoid getting hurt. They spun around with wide eyes to watch as Magnus did a quick transformation before lashing out his cannons to fire at Nemesis Strika as she dove at him to tackle him. He managed to shoot her before she could hit him, sending her flying backwards. He ignored the cop cars that were now coming to a screeching halt as they stared wide eyed up at the two now transformed giant alien robots that were now battling each other.

"Ultra Magnus!" Nemesis Strika screeched at him as she staggered several yards away from him before she whipped up her cannon blaster to fire at him.

Things were not going so good at all! Not only did the three weary travelers have to deal with the humans that have been chasing after them, they now had Nemesis Strika popping out of nowhere, looking for a fight with her arch nemesis. AGAIN!

Now Magnus had to decide which one he was going to fight. The humans who were now clambering out of their vehicles with wide eyes as the two giant alien robots face each other or the Decepticon who was about to fire her cannon at him.

Tough choices.

Spinning quickly on his large feet, the Autobot Commander had to duck as a Nemesis Strika fired at him, having to fire his own cannon blaster to hit the blast that was flying at him. The impact from each blasts caused a massive explosion many feet above the humans' heads, sending quite a few flying onto their backs and earning a lot of shouts.

Rex quickly climbed to his feet, looking wide eyed up at Nemesis Strika before quickly glancing at Cheetor as he stood in front of him, almost protectively. He could hear the robotic animal growling as he watched his superior officer taking on a Decepticon. "Cheetor! Are you going to help him?" He found himself ask loudly.

Cheetor shook his head, his back arching a little. "I should, but that's Nemesis Strika! She's waaaay out of my league! The last time I tried taking her own, she nearly smashed me to pieces! Ultra Magnus is the only one out of us who will be able to stand against her! Besides, I'll just be in his way if I try to help him! So the best thing that I can do right now is..." He cut himself off, sharply looking off to the side. "Oh, slag!"

The young teenager looked to see what had caught his attention only to swear himself. That red haired lady and her two companions were running towards them, pulling out guns to aim at Cheetor, along with some of the police.

"This is so not good." Cheetor hissed as he cringed back a little, having to push Rex back as he looked wildly at the humans that were coming at him.

"Rex Rory!" One of the men shouted, his gun trained on Cheetor, looking ready to pull the trigger any minute. "Step away from the creature! Move!"

Rex quickly reached out and placed his hand on Cheetor's back, ignoring the fact that the young scout had jumped a little and glanced at him before glaring back at the humans that were pointing their guns at him. "No! Don't shoot him!" The teenager yelled, moving ever so closer to the Scout. "He's not bad! He's not bad! If you're going to shoot someone, shoot her!" He jabbed his finger towards Nemesis Strika, all sympathy towards the FEMALE Decepticon completely gone because she had decided to attack his large friend again.

The red haired woman just lowered her head, still looking dangerously at Cheetor as he crouched a little low and bared his fangs at the humans that were pointing weapons at him. "Rex Rory, get away from that thing!" She barked. "NOW!"

"No!" Rex shouted, his face scrunching up to a little anger. He couldn't believe that these people weren't listening to him. "I won't let you hurt him!"

"Kid! That thing is dangerous! It will hurt you if you're not careful!" The man standing beside the woman yelled, his head ducked low. He glanced over at the other man that he had been speaking to from before and nodded when he had held up one hand, as if telling him something.

Cheetor growled as he took a step back, forcing Rex to have to do the same. "They're going to attack Magnus with helicopters! These guys don't seem to be on our side, Rex!" He hissed under his breath at the teen. "These guys are not with Optimus and the Government. They wouldn't be pointing a gun at me if they were."

Rex shook his head as he took another step back before whirling his head around to see that there were more vehicles starting to pull up and surround the two. "Man! This sucks! What do you guys want with them?" He demanded, shooting the woman and her partner a dark look. "They're not here to hurt us!" He then tapped Cheetor's back, making his head tilt towards him. "Do you think we should get Magnus' attention?"

The Scout merely glanced over his shoulder to where Magnus was pounding the hell out of Nemesis Strika, diving when she tried to shoot him in the head with her cannons before kicking her hard in the back. "Nope! I say we get out of here while we still can! He'll be fine! I'm starting to think that we just better skedaddle without him! He'll follow after us once he's done with Nemesis Strika!" He said, before lowering himself a little, looking ready to bolt.

"I won't leave him, Cheetor! You just run! I'll stay! Try and see if you can get a hold of Optimus and the others." Rex said before stepping back away from him. "Run, Cheetor! Get out of here!"

Cheetor quickly looked at him before he turned sharply to look at the other humans. "I don't think Magnus would like me doing that, Rex!" He said, between his fangs, glaring at the humans. "If I up and leave you guys, he's gonna tear me a new aftpipe!"

"Just go, Cheetor! Just get going! We'll be fine! I promise! But we need some kind of reinforcements!" Rex said, balling up one fist.

Cheetor sighed heavily and shook his head. "Man, I just know I'm going to regret this." he shot Rex a look as he turned and bolted for the side of the circle all around him. He snarled only once as some police officers tried to bar his way but all he did leap clean over their heads before running as fast as he could away from them, even as they started firing their guns after him. Rex couldn't say that any one of them hit him. He was fast. He was already nearly a mile away within the minute, running for the hills.

But he had his own worries to fret about. Rex jerked his head away from Cheetor's departure, looking quickly around as some officers and even that man was starting to walk towards him. He gave them a dark look before he turned and bolted in the other direction. He had to feint a few times when some of the officers tried to step into his way but he got past them with only their fingers scraping his hoodie. He swore once when he felt one of the officers actually catch the back of his hoodie before jerking his arm right out of it and quickly scampering across the ripped up road to his feet.

Without even hesitating, Rex was running as fast as he could towards Magnus and Nemesis Strika's fight, knowing that the police and the weird people would hesitate from following after him. He knew it was not smart getting caught up in between the fight between two giant robots having a go at each other, but it was his best bet to staying away from those people.

Rex had to dive to the side when a scrap of metal was thrown in his direction as Magnus and Nemesis Strika were trying to rip each other apart much like they had several days ago. He dove behind a large boulder and looked back the way he had come to see if he was being followed.

To some of his relief, the police had decided to not even follow after him while there were two giants fighting each other.

"You should have taken my warning, Nemesis Strika and not come after us again!" Magnus snarled as he ducked under her swinging fist before smashing his own against her chest plate and having her stagger back. He quickly twirled his cannon around and aimed it right at her, firing and blasting her away from him. The impact threw her backwards, dangerously close to the large ravine. He knew one more shove would send her crashing into the deep gash in the Earth. He knew the fall wouldn't kill her but it would probably stun her long enough for him to shoot her in the chest plate and probably offline her for a while. "The boy spared your life and I warned you not to come after us again! Now, you're going to die!"

Nemesis Strika growled as she jerked her head back up and glared at him before a wicked smirk curled on her face plates as she thrust out her cannon, not aiming at him. "If I go, I take your human with me!" She snarled before firing a large blast.

Magnus' eyes flashed open and he jerked around to see where she was aiming. His spark gave a sharp jolt when he saw Rex crouching behind the boulder. "No!" He exclaimed, already starting to dive to the side to take the shot. "REX! DUCK!" But the blast merely clipped the Autobot Commander's shoulder, sending him spinning rapidly before crashing to the ground. He jerked his head around to see the blast still heading straight for Rex. "NO!"

Rex's eyes snapped wide when he saw the large ball of fire flying at him and he tried to move but his body wouldn't listen to his screaming brain. He could feel the intensity of the heat flying at him and he knew it was going to kill him.

Suddenly, something crashed into him. A body had leapt at him, knocking him to the ground, causing him to lose most of his air in his lungs and yelp as his left arm was crushed a little between his body and the rocky ground. He threw one arm over his head as he felt the hot ball smashed over his head, into the hill behind him. He still felt whoever had thrown him to the ground on top of him, keeping him in a tight embrace as they waited for the blast to blow over before she quickly rose off of him, looking wildly at the smoldering rocks right behind them several feet away.

To Rex's surprise, it was the red haired woman.

Out of all of the police and the people in suits, the woman had been the only one to run after Rex, not caring that she was throwing herself in between a deadly battle between two giant aliens. She barely had time to throw herself on top of the teenager before he was incinerated by the big black one's shot.

In result, the woman had knocked her head against the ground, breaking the skin a little so that it bled. She ignored the pain in her head to give Rex a once over look before jerking around to look at the Autobot Commander as he leaned over to see if the boy was okay. She gave him a fierce look but was ignored as he jerked around, throwing up his cannons to fire at Nemesis Strika because she was charging again.

"Damn you, Strika!" Ultra Magnus snarled as he stood up quickly and fired blast after blast. He swore angrily in Cybertronian when she managed to dodge a few.

Rex still quite wide eyed at the woman who had just saved his life before forcing himself to sit up to watch as Magnus took his rage out on the Decepticon. His breathing was picking up rapidly though as they clashed violently against one another and started ripping at one another.

"Cole!"

The teenager jerked his head around again to see that the man from before was running towards him and the woman. It only took him a minute to think of what he just said before realizing that Cole must have been the woman's name. She had reacted to it, turning sharply to look at him.

The man quickly skidded to a halt, ducking behind the boulder as he looked at the clashing metal giants before looking back at the woman. "Cole! The fire power's coming in! They want to know which one to take down!" He yelled, holding a radio tightly in his hand.

The woman, Cole, quickly glanced at Rex when he breathed in sharply. She gave him a firm look as she kept a hand clapped around his shoulder but then looked back at the two giant alien robots as they smashed each other up. It only took her and the teenager a moment to even hear the helicopters coming. But with her face darkening a little, she shook her head. "Tell them to fire on the big black one! That one is too hostile and it tried to kill the kid to get at the big red one!" She snapped, climbing to one foot but remaining knelt beside Rex.

The man nodded before turning sharply away and pushing the button on the radio. "This is Agent Sean calling in! Fire upon the big black one! Repeat! Light that big black sucker up!" He ordered sharply.

Rex's head jerked upward to see the helicopters speeding over head, now taking to surrounding Magnus and Nemesis Strika. His heart nearly stopped to see that his big friend was still way too close to the Decepticon. He knew that if he didn't get away, he would get hit too. "MAGNUS! GET AWAY FROM HER!" He bellowed as loud as he could, his voice getting a little hoarse from yelling it.

Both of the agents looked sharply at him but then looked back quickly to see what would happen.

Magnus had barely heard Rex's shout and nearly didn't listen until he heard the whomp, whomp, whomps of the helicopters. He jerked his head around to see four Black Hawks starting to fire missiles. He threw himself backwards, stumbling only a little on the unsteady ground and nearly fall right off the edge of the ravine but he caught himself as Nemesis Strika was engulfed in explosions and fire. He kept very low to the cliff, watching as she was thrown back violently and pieces of her started to fly in many directions.

The Decepticon General was screaming in rage and pain as she tried to throw up her cannons to fire upon the new threats but the missiles kept on coming, not giving her a chance. She turned sharply to retreat but another explosion sent her sailing into the ravine where she crashed against the cliffs and fell right into the much smaller river about fifty feet below.

And Nemesis Strika did not get back up.

Panting heavily from worry, Rex just sat there, wide eyed as he watched as smoke curled up into the air once Nemesis Strika was down. He was waiting for to see if she got back up but she didn't. He tried to stand up, stumbling only a little to see where Magnus was and he caught sight of him, still hanging half way down in the ravine, probably looking down at Nemesis Strika to see if she really was down. Rex had to smile a little, quite of breath. But as long as Magnus was okay, then it was...

And then the helicopters began to fire upon Ultra Magnus.

The helicopters weren't using missiles, due to them being gone after firing on Nemesis Strika. But they did have a nice set of machine guns on each side and now they were using them on the Autobot Commander.

"NO!" Rex exclaimed, starting to rush forward. But he didn't get very far as the woman and man, Cole and Sean grabbed a hold of him and hauled him right back to where they were. They had to keep a good grip on him to keep him from running off. "NO! Let me go! Magnus! Why are you shooting at him? NO! Magnus!"

Sean wrapped an arm around the teen's waist, hauling him backwards so that he couldn't run off after his giant alien robot. He winced when Rex's elbow clipped him in the shoulder but he did his best to ignore him. "Knock it off, kid! That thing is dangerous and it's got to be taken care of!" He tried his best to shout over the boy's own shouts.

Cole grabbed Rex's flailing arm and held it tightly to keep it from hitting at them. She gave him a very dark look for nearly hitting Sean but she was ignored. She just looked over to watch as the helicopters began firing on the red robot.

It came as a surprise when the humans began firing at Ultra Magnus but he did not retaliate like they thought he would. He merely flinched once the rain of bullets began to batter at him before he jerked his head upward to glare at the offending flying contraptions. He couldn't stop himself from growling at them as he quickly clambered up onto cliff side and stood up, pointing his cannons at them. He had to keep ducking as the bullets fired at him before he simply fired a warning shot at one of the helicopters, causing it to jerk in the air and nearly hit one of the others.

But then he heard Rex.

Magnus' eyes snapping wide open, he quickly scanned the area to see that his young friend was being pulled by the two people from the bridge back towards the road. They were nearly dragging him as he tried to fight them off of him to get back to the Autobot. He swore loudly as he quickly looked around to see where the Pit Cheetor had run off to but the Scout was nowhere in sight.

"Fragging scaredy cat!" Magnus snarled before he tried to move forward to go after Rex and the two agents. He would not allow those humans to take the boy from him. That boy was his closest friend right now and he seemed to be terrified out of his mind about what was going to happen next. "Stop firing at me, fleshlings!" He snarled at the Black Hawks before taking evasive measures. He jerked his head in Rex's direction, watching almost helplessly as his young human was being dragged to a large silver SUV and being shoved inside. "Slaggit!"

Shooting a glare at the Black Hawks again, Magnus swore. He was in a huge bind right now. He couldn't fire upon the humans! It was against his slagging younger brother's orders! But what else was he suppose to do? He couldn't just sit there and watch these humans kidnap Rex! The boy needed him!

"Oh, Primus help me!" Magnus roared in rage before he lunged forward and swatted at the helicopters. He thrashed out another hand until he grabbed a hold of the tail, crushing it into his massive hands. He growled at the humans inside, who were shouting in fear before dropping them onto the ground as softly as he could. He quickly moved to do the same to the other helicopters, having quite the time to catching them. The pilots were doing all they could to avoid his swinging hands but in the end, their tails ended up crushed and they were dropped to the ground away from the ravine before they watched as the giant robot turned and began running towards the road.

With a violent growl, Magnus did a quick transformation as he started running down the road to follow after the silver SUV with Rex in it. His tires smashed viciously against the road and squealed as he hit the gas pedal, speeding down the road. His sensors were telling him that the SUV were not that far but they were doing their best to escaping away from him.

'Hold on, Rex! I'm coming!' The Autobot Commander yelled into his own processor.

* * *

Rex was putting up such a fight with the agents in the SUV. The woman, Cole, had climbed up into the front passenger seat while Sean and another agent were trying to keep the teenager from thrashing around in the seat. He had not stopped yelling since they shoved him into the large vehicle and was driving as fast as they could away from the bridge.

"Let go of me!" The teen yelled as he continued to thrash against both of the agents.

Cole let out a frustrated exclaim before she whirled around and glared at the boy and even shot a look at her partner. "Sean, shut him up!" She barked at him. She was already getting tired of the boy and his yelling was giving her a headache.

Sean shot her an equal look as he grabbed a hold of Rex's arm and forced it to cross over his chest. He did his best to pin it there while the other agent was keeping a tight hold onto his legs to keep him from kicking at the seats in front of them. "Rex Rory! Stop, stop! Stop it now! Act your age and calm down!" The annoyed agent snapped at him as he kept Rex's arm trapped against his chest.

Finally, a little worn down, Rex glared at him, panting heavily. He shared that glare with Agent Sean for a moment before sinking back against the seat, giving him the idea that he was finally giving him. "What do you want? Who are you? Are you working with the Autobots? The Government? Why did you shoot at Magnus? He wasn't doing anything but trying to take down Nemesis Strika! He tried to protect me and you started shooting at me!" He snapped angrily.

The red haired woman spun in her seat again and jabbed a finger at him, giving him a very dangerous look. "Shut! UP! NOW!" She ordered viciously. She ignored the teen when he flinched away from her finger but she lowered back onto the seat arm. "You will stop it right now, Rex Rory! We are not in authority to say anything, more or less to you as a kid!" Cole snapped, giving him a fierce look. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about with Auto-whatevers! But we fired upon that thing because it is not from Earth! And you know that! That thing," She pointed back in the direction they had come from. "Does not belong on our Planet! It is an alien invader and it's probably here to destroy the human race! I don't care what it told you! It's dangerous and we will take it out!"

Rex shook his head, looking at her angrily. "No! He's not dangerous to humans! He's here to protect us from the real threats! Who are you people? Where's Optimus Prime?" He demanded. "I want to see Optimus!"

"Kid, we don't know who the hell Optimus Prime is." Sean said still glaring at him and keeping his arm trapped across his chest. "But you need to shut up. Now. You are pissing Cole off and she's not the kind of person you want to do that to. She's a mean woman and she's not afraid to smack you if you keep that attitude up." He warned.

Still, Rex couldn't help but just sit there and stare at him with wide eyes. He was getting the feeling that these people were not who they were saying they were. If they did not know who Optimus was, they did not work with the Autobots or the Government that the Autobots were working with. He felt the threat in the air. He knew that Agent Sean was being serious because of the look he was getting from the woman, Cole. He knew that he was in a lot of trouble.

"Wh-what are you going to do me? Are you going to hurt me?" Rex found himself asking rather shakily.

Both Sean and Cole looked at him, almost disturbed that he would even ask that. But they shared a quick glance with one another, not looking too reassuring. They couldn't really answer that question. They didn't even have a clue what to do about Rex.

But with a light sigh and finally loosening his grip on Rex's arm, Sean shook his head as he sank back against the seat next to him. "No. We're not going to hurt you, Rex Rory. We're here to protect you. You might think that thing is your friend but it's not. It's..."

Shooting him an acid like look, Rex shook his head. "His name is Ultra Magnus! And he's not an It. He's a he! And he is my friend! I don't care what you guys think of him but he is not bad. He's not here to hurt humans. He's an Autobot, a good robot alien. He's here to protect us from the Decepticons. The bad robot aliens." He said dryly.

"All right!" Cole said sharply, turning to give him a look. "I don't want to hear another word from either one of you. Sean, I'm snapping at you because you know you're not even suppose to be talking to the kid!" She turned her dark eyes onto Rex next who did cringe back a little. "And you, shut up. Not. Another. Word."

Rex glowered at her before tugging his arm loose from Sean's grip and dropping it beside him. He jerked away from the other agent who gave him a look in return. But at least he didn't try to grab at him again. He wanted so much to just tell the woman, Cole that she was such a bitch. She was sure being bitchy to him. But he had a feeling that if he called her a bitch to her face, she would probably haul off and smack him.

It wasn't even five minutes later before Sean's cell phone rang and he answered it. He listened to whoever was speaking to him with a very discontent look on his face. He did not look happy at all. He ignored the look he was getting from Cole, who was staring intently at him, waiting for whatever it was.

But then a second later, Sean jerked around in his seat and looked wide eyed out of the back window just as a loud engine revved from behind. Everyone in the SUV spun around with a jerk to see the large Mack coming up on them, looking like a very pissed off truck.

"Magnus!" Rex started up again.

Cole shot him a look before looking at the driver. "Step on it! Head to the power station! Freddricks is there waiting with a team! He says he's got a plan and we're going to use it!" she barked at him.

And the driver slammed his foot onto the gas pedal, going way over the speed limit.

Rex felt Sean and the other agent grabbing at his shoulders again, trying to force him to sit forward again. But he started up another power struggle with them, getting a very irritated sigh from Sean as he snatched up the teen's arm again and pinned it against his chest to keep him sitting still.

It wasn't too long before the SUV was swerving into a large lot of a power station. There were power lines everywhere, along with quite a lot of people. It looked like a whole army was there, waiting for their arrival. They were very armed with all kinds of guns and were looking ready for a huge gun fight. There were even a few people with large fire power and Rex knew that it was going to be an ambush for Magnus if he came into that large lot. He was already starting to panic as he looked wildly around.

The SUV stopped suddenly making him jerk a little in his seat belt before the side doors were thrown open. A large man in full out SWAT clothes had thrown the door open and was letting the other agent out while Sean was quickly climbing out the other side of the SUV and reaching for Rex. But to Sean's surprise, the large SWAT guy had lashed out and grabbed a hold of Rex's arm, yanking him out of the vehicle, not caring that he nearly fell to the ground in the process.

"HEY! Freddricks! What the hell do you think you're doing? Don't be so rough on the kid!" Sean yelled as he quickly hurried around the SUV and faced the man.

The SWAT guy, Agent Freddricks gave Sean a nasty look before shooting Cole the same look as she got out quickly and started glaring at him. He just yanked Rex to his feet, ignoring the yelp from him and started jerking him after him. "Shut up, Pretty boy! Orders from Hollander! He was watching the footage from the reports! The alien wants this kid! So he's the bait!" He snapped.

"WHAT?" Both Sean and Cole exclaimed, looking stunned.

Even Rex had to look at him with wide eyes as he found himself being jerked away from the two. He didn't like the looks of this at all. This man, Freddricks was a huge jerk by the way he was yanking him around. He was not being so gentle with him at all. "Let go of me!" He demanded, trying to yank his arm free only to help when the man sharply cuffed him over the head.

"Hey! Don't hit that kid, Freddricks!" Sean yelled angrily starting after him. He had to stop short when the large man swung around and glared at him, with his other hand occupied by a semi automatic rifle. He stepped back, his hands starting to rise. But he did not look happy at all. And neither did his partner.

"Stay out of fucking way, Pretty Boy! I've got orders to draw that creature out and I'm using the kid! Don't try and stop me or you'll be answering to the Boss!" Freddricks snapped before he turned and yanked Rex after him towards a bunch of power converters and power boxes. He jerked around only once when there came a loud screech of tires and metal banging against metal.

Ultra Magnus had arrived.

Transforming quickly, the Autobot Commander was on his feet and glaring around the power station. His eyes took in the scene and he nearly froze. He could see how many guns were trained on him, looking ready to punch holes in his armor. He looked around quickly before spying Rex being yanked around by a big human. He merely glanced at the two human agents that had taken Rex in the first place, giving them a nasty look before he stepped forward.

"Stop!" The Autobot Commander snapped, making quite a few humans jump a little at his booming voice. He ignored them though as he stepped into the large yard, glaring at the human who had Rex.

Freddricks turned sharply with Rex, gripping the boy's arm tightly. It was tight enough to make the teen wince and try to pry his large hand loose. But his fingers were not strong enough to even make them budge. He looked helplessly up at Magnus who stayed right where he was on the road, glaring at the man who was being cruel to him. "Heh, it's actually kind of intelligent. He actually talks." The Agent sneered before starting to carefully drag Rex up some stairs on a ten foot platform in the middle of the power converters.

Magnus growled but did not move. He could feel the electrifying energy all around him by this power station. It was dangerous for even him to be around all of that power. If he bumped into even one power line, it might frizz him out. He was treading very dangerous waters.

"If you hurt Rex, I will take back my oath to harming humans just to kill you, human." The Autobot Commander growled, glaring right at Freddricks. He was fully aware that some of the humans were surprised that he was even talking. He was sure they hadn't even been aware of his intelligence to do so.

Freddricks pulled Rex onto the platform and moved towards one of the edges, keeping his grip tight on the boy's arm. He sneered at the giant robot. "Well, looks like you can have a conversation with our kind, alien. And it looks like you're in a very tight bind. You have two choices to make right now." He said, dipping his head a little low. "As you may have guessed, since you seem so smart, we are using this kid as bait for you. Your choices are, give yourself up to us and save the kid. Or, I'll throw this little brat into those power converters and you can watch him fry. And then we will open fire on you and take you down."

Rex looked wide eyed up at him, not believing what he just said. He couldn't believe that this guy would actually kill him, a human teenager to get Magnus. He had to be kidding! He wouldn't do that! He would not hurt him just to get a hold of the Autobot Commander. But it still terrified him.

Magnus, however, looked between full out anger and shock that the human agent would say that. He began to growl and his cannons started to whirl but he kept it lowered to the ground. "You're lying. You would not hurt the boy." He said, trying to call his bluff.

"Oh yeah?" Freddricks asked, almost laughing before he shoved Rex hard to the ground, ignoring the yelp in pain as he scrapped his hand against the cement, cutting them up. He lashed out a foot and kicked his leg, earning a shout of pain. "I think otherwise, alien. Should I kick him harder this time? Break his leg?"

With a furious snarl, Magnus almost took a step forward, his cannon snapping up to point at the human agent. But he knew that if he were to fire, he would hit Rex too. And he did not want the boy to be hurt. He ignored all of those cocks from each gun that every single human had pointed at him. But what he did not ignore was the fact that the red haired woman was now storming towards the stairs, looking like a fiery wraith as she stormed up the stairs, skipping some until she reached the top.

Freddricks almost didn't even see her coming because he had been watching the alien robot. But when he did see the movement, he jerked his head towards her only to get a fist slammed into his jaw and send him stumbling over his feet.

Cole glared furiously at Freddricks as she ducked down and grabbed Rex's arm, helping him to his feet. She couldn't believe that this idiot would actually hurt the kid. "Freddricks! What is the matter with you?" She snapped viciously as she pulled Rex behind her. "This is your big plan? Hurt the kid to get the robot's attention? Bullshit! I am not going to let you do that!"

Shooting her a very nasty look, Freddricks stood up straight and even started forward but his head jerked around when he heard a loud whirl. He looked to see that Magnus was training his cannons on him and looking ready to fire at him. "Shit!" He exclaimed before looking sharply at Cole with an almost sneer at her. He rose his gun. "I've got orders, Colette! And I've been dying to do this for a while now!" He said sharply, ignoring the surprised look he had gotten from her.

And he fired his gun.

In truth, Freddricks was not aiming at Cole exactly. He was aiming at the ground next to her. But it still had the effect that he knew it would have. He gave a sharp bark of laughter as the bullets slammed into the ground next to her feet.

Gasping sharply, Cole jerked away from where he was firing at, yanking Rex away so that he wouldn't get hit either. What she failed to remember was of how close they both had been to the edge of the ten foot platform. Her feet, and Rex's stepped right off the edge and they both slipped over. Both of them yelped in surprise as they fell backwards.

"REX!" Magnus roared as he lunged forward, ignoring some of the humans as they began to fire at him. He just had to get to his young friend before he fell and got hurt.

More or less, the Autobot Commander stepped right into the power lines, immediately sending sparks flaring up his body frame. He gave a jerk but chose to ignore them as he continued trying to push through the lines to get to Rex.

There were explosions as the power lines surged all around Magnus, causing sparks to fly everywhere. There were shouts from the humans as they quickly began running to avoid getting electrocuted. They even had to dive to avoid getting stepped on by the giant alien robot, who was jerking and twisting as he tried to push past the power lines. He gave a loud shout of pain as electricity shot up through his metal frame. His eyes were flickering violently as he twisted, finding some of the power lines starting to get tangled up.

Rex, however, began coughing violently once he and Cole had slammed into the ground from the fall but hearing the explosions had him snapping up right away. He looked on with horror as he saw Magnus getting tangled up in the power lines, trying to get to him. He shook his head as he flinched away from sparks that fell all around him. He knew that he was in serious danger. But he honestly couldn't say he cared right at the moment.

"No." The teenager whimpered in horror as he climbed to his feet and watched as Magnus' body jerked from the electricity. He shook his head, ignoring Cole as she stood up, watching in equal horror and grabbing at his arm to pull him away from some of the falling lines. "No!"

There was a loud pop and that had both of the humans looking up to see a power line starting to fall towards them. "Shit!" Cole nearly screamed as she grabbed a hold of Rex and started yanking him to get to safety. She almost tripped over his feet and they almost fell to the ground. But what surprised her was they didn't get hit by the line as she thought they would. She jerked her head around to see if it might have gotten caught on something.

But it had been the alien robot.

Magnus had seen the falling line and had managed to lash out and catch the line before it could fall onto Rex and the human woman. He fell heavily to his knees, causing the ground to shake a little. He threw back his head and let out a string of Cybertronian profanity, his voice even starting to take on a violent static treatment as he jerked from the power surges attacking him.

"MAGNUS!" Rex screamed, jerking and yanking in Cole's grip, trying to get away from her. He just wanted to get to Magnus. He wanted to make sure he was okay. He didn't care it was too dangerous for him until someone managed to shut all of the power down. He just wanted to be next to Ultra Magnus. "MAGNUS!" He screamed again.

But Magnus' bright flickering eyes went dark and he crumpled on top of some the power converters. He did not get up again.


	16. Chapter 16 Tough Choices

Title: Big Bad and Red

Genre: Action/Drama/Friendship

Rating: T for some strong language, some violence, mild adult content, some crude humor.

Summary: Sixteen year old, city slicking orphan child, Rex Rory lives in Alabama and he has only one arm. What else can go wrong? Oh...yeah. He just met a huge alien robot that turns into a big, temperamental, red Mack semi truck.

* * *

~Chapter Sixteen~

_Tough Choices_

* * *

SCREEEEECCH!

The loud squeals of tires echoed through the air as the large green metallic Jeep Wrangler stopped so suddenly. He slid across the black top road a little, ignoring the sudden honks and Cybertronian swearwords as his companions slammed on their breaks and even swerved to miss slamming into his bumper.

The loud nasty swearwords coming from Ironhide's voice processor was booming as loud right out of his radio system and he was yelling threats of what he was going to do to Hound if he did not have a good reason for why he just slammed on his brakes.

Both Will and Epps were nearly having panic attacks; their selves, as they pressed their hands against Ironhide's dash board before hyperventilating and trembling as they carefuly unbuckled their seat belts and got shakily out of the big black Topkick to bend over and try to keep their lunch in their stomachs.

_"Dude! Is everyone okay? Hound, what the Pit are you doing slamming on your brakes?"_Hot Rod asked sounding just as shaky as the two human American Soldiers were looking. He ignored the looks from some other humans who had stopped to see if things were okay or if there had been an accident. His human holoform quickly climbed out of his real body and hurried to check on the two humans who were breathing heavily between their legs. "Will! Epps! You hurt?"

The rough looking human holoform of Ironhide hopped down from his big body and rushed over to check on Will, before shooting nasty looks at the cowboy looking human sitting in Hound's driver seat. It was, obviously, Hound's holoform but he wasn't even looking over at them. "Hound, what the hell is wrong with you? Why did you stop?" The big bald guy Ironhide looked like snapped.

Hound ignored him but looked at his dashboard with wide, bewildered eyes. His eyes were flickering back and forth, announcing that he was actually looking at something in his databases. And he did not look happy.

"Hound, man. You gonna tell us why you nearly killed me and Will by giving us heart attacks?" Epps asked, raising a dark eyebrow as he finally stood up straight and folded his arms.

For a long moment, Hound didn't answer as he continued to let his bright blue eyes flicker back and forth. He did that for a long time before he looked wide eyed over at the others, almost horrified. "Dudes, we got to turn around and go back to Colorado. I just got a transmission from Teletraan. I don't know if it's another glitch but there was just a huge bot battle over by the Royal Gorge Bridge and then a huge power blow out near Rock Springs about four hours ago. Teletraan didn't pick it up until just now. There were reports of two big robots bashing each other out and then the power out that just knocked out half of Colorado's power. It doesn't look good." He told them, seriously.

Both Ironhide and Hot Rod gave exasperated sighs and looked at the Autobot IT. "Hound, we're in Arkansas! Colorado is nearly two days away from here! We already looked in Colorado! And now you're saying we got to go back?" The Spy Changer asked, wearily.

Hound wrinkled his human nose at Hot Rod but nodded. "I know, I know! With Teletraan always spitting out transmissions and me wanting to check them out, it's getting irritating! But the power outage in Colorado's not just been reported by Teletraan! It's on the news! They're not saying what it is, but I still think we should check it out!" He said, glumly.

Ironhide growled before looking at Will and Epps who rolled their eyes as they climbed back into the large Topkick's cab. He looked grumpily at Hound, narrowing his eyes at him. "Hound, if this is another wild goose chase like last time, I'm going to kill you. And I don't mean that lightly. I will rip you apart." He growled at the IT, who rolled his eyes.

And soon enough, they were back on the road, heading back West.

* * *

Rex was pretty much in shock as he just knelt there beside Magnus' fallen form, staring at his dark optics. He had been kneeling there for a long time but not allowed by Cole to touch the giant alien robot because he still had some static bolts running all over his metal frame. It wasn't safe for the teenager to reach out and touch Magnus. Cole had not stepped away from the teen's side at all. She had remained at his side the entire time while everyone was working quickly.

It had been almost four or five hours since Magnus went down and it was barely starting to get dark. There had been reports coming in that some of the media wanted to come report the power splurge but they were being blocked off.

And as it was, the Agents were just barely starting to use a crane to pull Magnus' motionless form into a huge net, bundling him up and trying to pull him onto a large trailer that would carry him off to where ever they were going to take him.

But no one even bothered Rex as he just knelt there, staring at Magnus as they used a huge crane to try and lift him up onto the trailer. He didn't even seem to notice Cole and Sean exchanging silent words to one another. They both kept glancing down at Rex, looking almost worried about him but they would tear their eyes away from him and start talking to one another again.

Of course, after everything had calmed down several hours ago, the first thing that Cole ever did was march right up to Freddricks and punch his face so hard that it sent him sprawling across the ground. When he got up and started towards her to hit her back, he ended back on the ground when Sean moved in between them and punched him next. His punch had knocked the agent out and he was still out, lying in one of the SUVs. They both knew that he was going to be pissed when he woke up, but neither one cared. Freddricks had been way out of line when he fired his gun at Cole and the boy just to knock them off the ten foot platform. He could have shot either one of them and not even care if he did.

By the end of this, Sean swore that he was going to make sure that Freddricks was retired from the Department. He did not care what the word really meant but he wanted to be rid of that loose cannon. He had nearly shot his partner, and secretly the girl of his dreams, and he nearly shot a teenage kid. Sean swore that he was going to make sure that Freddricks paid for that.

"He still staring?" Sean asked quietly, glancing at Rex.

Cole let her eyes flicker to the boy before giving her partner a weary look as she folded her arms across her chest and shifted her weight. "What does it look like, Sean?" She asked impatiently before looking at the alien robot that they finally got onto the trailer. "That thing just saved my life, Sean. And I really don't know how to feel about it." She grumbled.

Sean looked at the alien robot before sighing and shaking his head as he folded his own arms. "That thing was trying to save the boy. Not yours. It probably didn't give a rat's ass about you, Cole. Not like how I do." He said, trying to lighten the mood.

Scoffing, Cole shot him a look before stepping towards Rex, carefully grabbing his left arm and making him stand up. He did not look at her but still stared off blankly. He allowed her to steer him towards the SUV that they were going to drive in. She shot Sean a look, which he caught on right away. She would not show her worry openly to anyone but Sean. He knew that she did not like this at all. "Come on, Rex." Cole said quietly. "We'll take you home."

Sean then winced as he quickly caught up to her, shaking his head. "Uh...Cole. That's going to be a problem. We can't take the kid back to Alabama. Hollander wants us to take him back to the Montana Base, along with the alien." He said, almost cringing.

Looking sharply at him, Cole almost halted. She had seen Rex finally turn his head a little to listen, finally snapping out his stupor a little. But she ignored him as she just stared into Sean's eyes. "What?" She asked, almost demanding. Then she looked away, almost entirely frustrated. "They want him at the base. No one outside the Department ever goes to one of the bases." She said, her voice starting to sound very rough.

Rex frowned slightly, glancing from one agent to the other. He didn't know what the big deal was. He just didn't want to be away from Magnus. He just prayed that his big friend would come back online soon and they could escape again. But the look on Cole's face started to scare him a little. She did not look happy one bit. He wasn't sure if it was the fact that she would be stuck with him or if it was something else. "What...what does that mean?" He finally asked very quietly.

Both Cole and Sean looked at Rex, almost surprised that he even spoke. They stared at him for a moment before Cole tore her eyes away, looking frustrated again. But Sean smiled lightly at the teenager before shaking his head and lightly patting his back. "Nothing, Rex. It just means you're going to the base." He told him, though he didn't sound very reassuring. "You're probably going to meet our boss. Just a word of advice. Don't be rude to him. He's meaner than Cole, here."

And for some reason, Rex felt a chill run down his back. He did not like the way that Sean had said that.

About an hour after the sun had gone down, the vehicle that they were in were still driving across the border between Colorado and Wyoming. It was just Agents Cole and Sean and Rex. Agent Cole was the one who was driving while Sean sat right next to Rex in the seat behind. The teen knew that it was going to be a very long drive. He felt so worn out that he couldn't help but drift off a few times. It was during his drifting that gave him an idea.

Pretending to be asleep, Rex listened to the long silence for a very long time. He almost fell asleep for real, waiting for the talking to even start. He knew that Agents Cole and Sean would start saying something and he really hoped that they would talk about what they had been earlier. He wanted to know what they meant. The chilling of their words from before were still running cold through his bones.

And sure enough, they began to talk about it.

Glancing at the boy, Sean leaned forward and lightly touched Cole's arm, catching her attention from staring out into the dark night. He met her eyes when she turned to look at him, looking very grave. "You going to be okay?" He asked quietly so not to wake the boy up.

Cole stared at him through the dark of the SUV before tearing her eyes away from him and looking forward. She kept grinding her teeth as if she was angry about something and starting to open her mouth to say something but kept stopping herself. But finally, she turned her head sharply and looked at Sean. "I can't believe they've decided to do this to this kid." She whispered almost harshly. "You know what happens when we take outsiders to the base. What do they expect us to do about him? It would be so much better if we just sent him back to Alabama to his family!"

Sean sighed, lowering his head as he merely glanced at Rex, who was still pretending to be asleep. "I know." He said, stopping abruptly. He closed his eyes for a moment and hung his head. "I'll try to have a talk with Hollander when we get back. I'll try to make him see reason. I will not let him do this to this kid. He doesn't know anything. I so agree with you, Cole. We shouldn't do this to the boy." He sounded almost painful.

"It pisses me off." Cole hissed between her teeth, glaring out the window. "Who does he expect to pull the trigger? Me? You? That bastard, Freddricks? It probably is him who's going to kill the boy. He might even be happy to do it."

"Shh." Sean quickly hissed, looking quickly at Rex, watching for a reaction.

Rex almost jolted right out of his seat when he heard that. His breathing almost stopped to hear what Cole just said. He felt like someone had just punched him hard in the chest and knocked every inch of his air out of his lungs. He had to fight his eyes to stay shut and not snap open or to even jerk in his sleep. It took every inch of his will for it.

'Oh, my god.' He thought to himself, horrified. 'They're going to kill me! They are going to shoot me!'

"How did he find out, Sean?" Cole suddenly asked in a very quiet voice. She sounded so tired and she probably was after the day they just had. But Rex listened anyway. "How did he find out about my real name? What does Freddricks know about me? Did you tell him?"

Sean shook his head, looking at her with weariness. "No. I didn't tell Freddricks your real name, Cole. I don't tell him jack shit. I don't know how he found out that your name is Colette. The question we really have to ask our selves is, does Freddrick know that you're the Secretary's daughter?" He asked in a low voice.

Cole hissed almost angrily as she tightened her hands on the wheel, making it creak a little. "Oh, god. If he knows that I'm that old bastard's daughter, I will kill him." She then shot him a look. "And you, if you ever tell anyone."

There came a very light laugh before Sean started to reach over as if to brush some of her hair back behind her ear but stopped himself immediately. He knew very well what would happen if he did that. He remembered very well that Cole was not a touchy sort of person. She hated physical contact. Even from him. So he would have to keep his hands to himself, no matter how much he wanted to just brush some hair back. He dropped his hand back into his lap and looked forward.

"I won't tell anyone. I swear, Colette Keller." Sean said in a very quiet voice that Rex almost missed it.

"Don't call me that, Sean. I mean it." Cole said, though she didn't sound as angry as she might have been. She just sounded irritated. "What are we going to do about the boy, though?"

"I don't like it any more than you do, Cole." Sean said, almost sadly. "The only hope that Rex has is if we fight for him. We're going to have to argue his case with Hollander. Fight tooth and nails to make sure they don't decide to kill him for his silence. And what about that whole thing that he kept talking about earlier? Who the heck is Optimus Prime? Is he someone your father knows?"

Cole shot him a look from over her shoulder before looking forward. "That bastard is not my father, Sean. He's just an old man who happens to have conceived me. And I don't know if he knows who this guy is. I think that name sounds familiar but I can't remember. It might actually be one of those godforsaken alien robots that's on Earth. The name sounds about right." She hissed.

Rex frowned in his sleep as he listened to her and so did Sean. "Why do you hate them so much, anyway?" " He found himself ask quietly.

"Why do you?" Cole countered.

Sean merely shrugged, knowing her words meant to be hostile. But he decided to be honest anyway. "Well, I don't hate them. I actually find them entirely fascinating. Ever since I read that weird guy's notes during my time in Sector Seven about the whole alien robots conspiracy, I've always wanted to study them. But I got dragged into the Department when S7 got shut down. It's what I get for being in the Weapons department. You? You never told me what dragged you into the Department."

Cole's face darkened a little but she kept her eyes forward. "I'm sorry, Sean. But it's none of your business. The reason why I'm in the Department is my own. All I will say is that I hate these creatures with every inch of my soul and that is all. I will see every single one of them destroyed." She said, her voice full of venom.

There was a brief silence.

"What about Big Red? He saved your life, even if he was just saving the kid. I'm sure that's got to account something for you." Sean said, wonderingly.

Cole did not reply. She was done talking and even if Sean tried to ask something else, she refused to say any more. But with just a quick opening of his eyes and looking in the rearview mirror, Rex saw pain in her eyes. She was not happy with the situation dealing with him or even Magnus. She might have hated the Cybertronians with every inch of her soul, but with Ultra Magnus saving her life, it was starting to conflict her.

And all Rex could do was try and get some rest. Because once morning came, he was going to need all of the strength he could gather so that he could do what he was best at doing lately.

Run away.

* * *

When morning came, Rex had barely opened his eyes to see a sign stating that they were just barely passing the outskirts of Casper, Wyoming. He saw that it was now Sean in the driver's seat while Cole was sleeping in the passenger seat. She looked almost peaceful that way and yet, Rex couldn't care a bit about her. She was one of the people that was going to kill him.

It had not been so hard to remember hearing everything that Sean and Cole had said the night before. It had sent Rex into a fit of frightening dreams, though he hadn't cried out very much.

But now, he was awake and had thought of something that he could do to escape. Rex had to get away. He didn't know how he was going to help Magnus but he would have to do something. He just had to. He could not let these cruel people hurt him. He didn't even know where Magnus was being taken to, other than it was in Montana. That was the only clue that...

"Um..." Rex suddenly hummed when the SUV started to pull over off to the side. He looked around noting that there was a town just a few miles away from them. It was probably Casper. But why was the Agent stopping now?

It made Rex's heart ram against his chest and stare wide eyed at the Agent. He could only imagine that it was time for him to get shot. He had thought that they would kill him in Montana but maybe Sean got orders from his boss to do it before they even reached the Base. That way he didn't even get to see it. Not that it would matter if they were just going to kill him.

For a long time, Sean sat there, gripping the steering wheel. His jaw was clenched tight and his eyes were painfully squinted. Rex could barely hear his breathing, noting that it was kind of heavy.

Finally after a long moment of just sitting there, Sean turned around in the seat and looked directly into Rex's eyes, ignoring him as he cringed back a little. He just stared at the teenager, who was waiting for him to pull a gun on him and shoot him between the eyes or something. He merely glanced over at Cole then back to Rex, who shared the glances. "I made sure to put some heavy sleeping pills in her coffee last night. So she ain't going to be waking up for a little while." The agent murmured quietly. "She's going to be pissed at me for doing it. But I can't involve her in this."

"Wh-what are you going to do to me?" Rex asked, pressing his back deep into the SUV seat.

Sean met the teen's frightened eyes before sighing and reaching out with one hand to press the locking button. Only, he unlocked the car doors. "As far as I know, those robots we've been trying to hunt down," He met Rex's eyes, his lips curving upward only a little when Rex looked bewildered. "They're hiding at the old Sector Seven base. The Hoover Dam between Nevada and Arizona. That's where they're at." He reached into his coat pocket and dug out a large wad of money, shoving it towards Rex. "I want you to go back into Casper and get on a Greyhound bus. Use that money to go to the Hoover Dam. You either tell them about the Department or you just go straight home to Alabama and forget this ever happened. But I will not take your life."

Rex stared wide eyed at the agent, bewildered to the extreme. He couldn't believe that Agent Sean was actually letting him go. "But...but...uh..." He stammered over his words.

Sean merely smiled at him. "When I was your age, I used to pretend to be asleep to find out information too. Used to do it to my parents around Christmas time to find out what I was getting for Christmas. They tend to talk about the presents when I was asleep. I know you were awake last night and what you heard." His face fell a little into a sad look as he glanced over at Cole. "She's a tough woman, Rex. She's had a hard life and I seriously don't know why she hates these robot aliens. But we found about your story. We talked to your Aunt and Uncle while looking for this...Ultra Magnus guy of yours and even you. She hates it that you're only sixteen years old and you've lost everything in your life. She was twenty when she lost everything but still, you're too young to be in such a mess like this." He told him.

"Won't you be in trouble?" Rex asked, almost skeptically as he stuffed the offered money into his pocket.

Lightly smiling, Sean nodded as he turned back in his seat, looking forward. "Yep. I'll be in trouble. I'll probably be retired for letting you escape. I'm going to tell them that you needed to go to the bathroom and while I wasn't looking, you snuck out and ran off." He said, his voice sounding tired. "But I can't let my job kill you. You are just a kid."

Rex slowly nodded as he took in his words before he reached over and grabbed the door handle, starting to open it. He didn't get out just yet though but bit his lip. "Retired. They would just retire you from your job?" He asked, looking curiously at Sean through the rearview mirror.

Sean lightly chuckled before lowering his head. "In my line of duty, retired doesn't mean anything like what you're thinking, Rex. In the Department, retired means the retirees end up dead. No one leaves the Department unless you die in line of duty. Or you die of old age. But you don't just quit." He warned him. He turned and looked at Cole before reaching over and lightly brushing her rose colored bangs out of her sleeping face. "I'm trying to think of a way to get her out of here without being retired. I might have to fake her death but it's going to take a lot. And it might even kill me, but I won't let her die." He turned in his seat and looked at the awed look on Rex's face. "Rex, think very carefully of what you're doing. Mixing your life with the aliens is going to be too dangerous. You should get out while you still can."

Frowning, the teenager narrowed his eyes at him. "What about Magnus? What are you going to do to him? Can you let him go too?" He asked, his breathing picking up a little.

"No. What's going to happen to him..." Sean sighed heavily, looking forward. "You're best just forgetting him. What the Department is going to do to him, it's not going to be pretty. I hate doing this to these creatures. They're so magnificent."

"I can't leave Magnus. He's my best friend. He's my only friend." Rex said, his voice hardening. "I won't let you guys hurt him. He's done so much for me and I can't..."

Sean shook his head, not turning around to look at him. He just kept his eyes on the road ahead of the SUV. "Rex, you don't have a choice. You have to forget the robot. Now get out of the car. I'll see if I can do something but I can't promise you anything without blowing it for Cole." He said, his tone a little hard.

Rex just sat there for a moment before he carefully got out and stepped back from the SUV. He watched as it sped away, leaving him just standing there, at the border of Casper. He felt some gratitude for what Sean just did for him. But he was not going to just leave Magnus in this so called Department's clutches. He had to find a way to save him. He didn't know what he could do to save Magnus, but he had to do something.

His chest aching a little, he began walking down the road, heading in the same direction as Sean and Cole had just gone. He was going to Montana. He didn't know how long it would take for him to reach it, but he was not going to let them get away with Magnus. Maybe he could hitch hike or...

"YO! Rex!"

Rex nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the sudden shout. He spun around, looking wildly around before he froze to see something running towards him. It looked like a tiger sized cheetah. And then it took him a moment to realize that it was actually Cheetor. He stared flabbergasted as the large cheetah quickly stop next to him, grinning a little at him.

"You know, it's kind of weird to see a large cheetah running around Wyoming. You know that right?" Rex asked, though he was very happy to see Cheetor. "What are you doing here? I thought..."

Cheetor shook his head as he sank down on his haunches and curled his long tail around his long legs and paws. "I didn't go anywhere. I was going to go find some help. The Autobots or something but I have no idea of how I'm going to find them. So I just tracked you. I saw everything." His grin was gone and he looked serious. "I saw what happened to Ultra Magnus. I don't know slag about medical treatment and all of that stuff, but I do know that he's not in good shape at all. Having so much electric currents running through our bodies is not good. It's knocked him into forced recharge. He ain't going to be waking up without some medical help."

Rex frowned but he nodded once. "How can we help him, Cheetor? We can't just leave him with those people." He said, slightly pained.

The Scout merely nodded before he lowered his front down to the ground and watched Rex for a moment. "I know. I won't leave Ultra Magnus in that state either. I'm an Autobot and he's my superior officer. He doesn't know it but he saved my life once so I'm in his debt. I will not let a bunch of humans do slag to him. Get on my back. We're going after them. When we get there, we'll come up with a plan." He told Rex.

Smiling brightly, Rex quickly got onto Cheetor's back and grimaced. "How am I suppose to hold on?" He asked, looking down at the large cheetah.

"Hm. Just get a good solid hold on the scruff of my neck. It ain't going to hurt me. Just grab on and hold tight. Because I am running. Try to keep your feet up." Cheetor warned him before he rose up onto his legs, seeming to raise a little bit higher than Rex had been expecting. And then he began to run.

Riding a large alien robot in the form of a cheetah was not fun, Rex could tell you. But what was fun was how fast that cheetah formed robot was going. He was running very fast down the road, in one of the fields, jumping fences. It was like riding a motorcycle or something for Rex. All he had to do was hold on tight and pray that he didn't fall off. But other than that, he had to grin as he felt the wind speeding past his face.

But it was when they started to reach the border of Montana did anything interesting happen. Well, not exactly interesting. It was more of a scare than anything else.

As Cheetor was running as fast as he could down a deserted street, his ears perked up a little, catching Rex's attention. He even turned his head a little, frowning. "Huh. That's weird." He said, thoughtfully.

"What is it, Cheetor?" Rex asked, still gripping the cheetah robot's false skin.

Cheetor shook his head as he slowed just a little but kept at a very fast pace as he started to approach an empty intersection. He was looking to his right, almost searching for something. "I don't know. I'm getting a weird a blip in my radar system. It's like something is coming this way very, very fast. It feels like...HUH?" He suddenly asked.

And Rex didn't have to ask him what he was hearing because he heard it too.

There was a loud scream approaching them very fast from down the road, including a very loud revving of an engine, followed by the roars of a motorcycle. It came way too fast just as Cheetor decided to cross the intersection, causing him stop suddenly in the middle of the street in alarm at what they were hearing.

A silver car was screaming down the street before it slammed on its brakes when the driver seemed to notice the big animal thing in the road. It left fifteen foot black marks down the road, including sending Cheetor roaring in fear and alarm, leaping back as far as he could go. Only problem was, Rex couldn't hold on tight enough so that he fell back to the ground just as the car was still coming to a screaming halt in the road. He gasped sharply and threw his arm over his head, laying against the pavement, waiting to get run over.

**_"AHHHHHH! OH, MY PRIMUS! I THINK I HIT SOMETHING! I HIT SOMETHING! I THINK I JUST HIT A HUMAN!" _**Came a very high pitched, very loud voice bellowing from the silver car that was just barely right over Rex. **"I KILLED A HUMAN! MOTHER SLAGGING SON OF A GLITCH! I KILLED A HUMAN!" **

There were loud revvs, including two different sets of sirens and the slamming on brakes a moment later before Rex decided to brave himself and look directly into the headlights of the silver car that was practically right on top of him. He was trembling violently and staring wide eyed at the car that's bumper was almost touching his own nose. And directly in front of his eyes was the Autobot insignia.

It took him a minute to even recognize the sirens. It sounded like a police cruiser and a fire engine's siren.

**_"Oh my Primus! Are you okay, Change? What happened?" _**came a very soft voice and it took Rex a moment to realize that it was coming from a bright pink motorcycle right beside the silver car above him.

With a quick glance around, Rex spied several different cars starting to pull up all around him. There was a police car and a fire engine there. Including a hot red Search and Rescue Avalanche truck. Beside that there was a fiery red sports car, and a black and pink car. There were two motorcycles; icy blue and hot pink. There was even an electric blue smart car in the back. Rex recognized that one as one of the new Volt cars. The cars that plug in for fuel.

And a cop was quickly approaching the car, looking wide eyed at Rex.

**_"I think I killed a human! I think I hit it! But I could have sworn it was big and yellow! And with black spots! Is it dead? Prowl! Did I kill a human? Please say I didn't kill a human? I'm so dead if I did!" _**A frantic voice escaped from the silver car. **_"Awww, man! Optimus is so going to hate me for this!" _**It now sounded like it was sobbing.

"Quick Change, shut up! He's not dead! You barely missed him! And stop talking out loud! Use your slagging communications...!" The police officer was snapping at the silver car.

Rex blinked once, twice and then three times before he found himself actually laughing out loud that it shut up the officer and the silver car. He was surprised at himself that he was even laughing. He had just nearly been ran over by a panicking car and all he could do was laugh.

**_"Uh...I think Quick Change broke him." _**A voice came out of the red Avalanche, sounding very uncertain.

And that's when Cheetor came out of the trees, chuckling a little and looking ashamed at the same time. "He's just in shock because he's looking right at Quick Change's ugly bumper." He said, almost grinning.

There was an almost long moment of stupid silence. The officer was staring wide eyed at the large cheetah moving towards him before there was a blast of honks from some of the vehicles. **_"Cheetor!"_** Several voices bellowed out of the vehicles.

Cheetor just grinned before moving over and wrapping his tail around Rex, pulling him a little out from under the silver car, which he now recognized as a Nissan Juke. And then the Scout helped him to his feet, looking almost ashamed. "I'm sorry, Rex. I didn't mean to drop you right in front of Quick Change and nearly get run over by him. He startled me so much that I had to jump back. I just didn't think." He said.

Rex just laughed weakly, still a little shocked but he was getting over it. He just looked around at all of the many cars. "It's okay, Cheetor. I'll get over it. I'm...I'm just really surprised to meet other Autobots." He said.

**_"Whoa, wait a second. This human knows about us? Spitfire! Do you know him?"_** The fire engine demanded, not sounding too friendly.

The fiery Lotus Elise hummed her engine a little as she moved forward, earning a very shocked look from Cheetor. She ignored him though. **_"No. I don't know this human. He wasn't with Optimus or the others the last time I was with them." _**A rather pretty voice came out from the radio system.

"WHOA! Time out!" Cheetor suddenly snarled, now quickly moving between Rex and the Lotus Elise. "What is that back stabbing, Decepticon loving, pit spawning betrayer doing here?"

Rex could only stare at his cheetah like friend with wide eyes while a frustrated sigh escaped from the Lotus and it sank down a little on its wheels. Some how, he got the feeling that the female Autobot that was the Lotus Elise sports car was not very welcomed as much as he thought she would be. And it only took him a moment to realize, this was the Autobot betrayer that Ultra Magnus had told him about two weeks ago.


	17. Chapter 17 Rescue Mission Begin!

Title: Big Bad and Red

Genre: Action/Drama/Friendship

Rating: T for some strong language, some violence, mild adult content, some crude humor.

Summary: Sixteen year old, city slicking orphan child, Rex Rory lives in Alabama and he has only one arm. What else can go wrong? Oh...yeah. He just met a huge alien robot that turns into a big, temperamental, red Mack semi truck.

* * *

~Chapter Seventeen~

_Rescue Mission Begin!_

* * *

It took a very long time to even calm Cheetor down and learn what the Autobot femme, designated Spitfire was even doing with the group of Autobots. It had been the one called Prowl who explained it, in a very deadpan sort of way. He told both, Rex and Cheetor that Spitfire had been the one who betrayed Optimus Prime and the Autobots to the Decepticons a long, long time ago but only recently, she had found this group of Autobots and were leading them back to the others. He even stated that the reaction to her had been just as upsetting as it was to Cheetor just now. But Spitfire had reassured them, with an Oath of Primus, that recently she rejoined the Autobots from being a Rogue and helped them take down a rather big threat to everyone on Earth.

Rex still did not understand exactly what happened between this female Autobot and the others. But all he could understand was the fact that a very nasty Decepticon called Catalysm had tried to destroy the Autobots and even the Decepticons to make way for his so called master. Some really bad sounding Cybertronian called Unicron.

That name just sent a chill down Rex's back and he even seen the others shudder to hear it. He would have to learn more about it from them later.

It was only then Spitfire pretty much sacrificed herself to destroy half of Catalysm, attempting to blow him to pieces when he tried to leave the Earth's atmosphere to return to his master did anything ever happen. She had told all of them that she had nearly been deactivated completely if it had not been for an allie of hers. She didn't say who had put her back together and stabilize her Spark so that she would live. She had clearly stated that it was better if she didn't tell them yet until she told Optimus Prime. But after that, she had been way across the United States when she ran into this group of Autobots and decided to lead them to Nevada to locate the Autobots. Rex was almost too surprised to even learn who each and every Autobot were.

The one who nearly ran him over happened to be an Autobot Front Line Soldier named Quick Change. He learned very quickly that this Autobot was quick to everything. He was quick to anger, being annoying, pissing off the others and just about anything. But other than that, the young teenager didn't learn too much from him. He did learn that Quick Change had a minor Autobot traveling around within his chasis.

That one was an Autobot spybot named Shuttershot. He only popped out his head from Quick Change's dash board to greet Rex and Cheetor before ducking back in. He seemed awfully shy and he didn't seem to like to talk too much.

The Dodge Charger's name was Prowl and he announced that he was Optimus Prime's Second in Command. He basically was the highest commanding officer there, besides one other of the Autobots with them. He was serious to a fault and didn't seem to joke around too much.

The two motorcycles, Rex learned, were Spark Sisters. They were only two out of three sisters. The icy blue one was a rough tempered femme named Chromia. She had been chasing Quick Change earlier because he cracked a joke that she didn't like and wanted to ram him in the bumper. Therefore, she chased him right into Cheetor and Rex.

The other motorcycle was Moonracer. She seemed very sweet tempered and rather quiet. She didn't talk very much other than say her name to Rex when she was introduced.

The huge fire engine was a not so happy Autobot named Inferno. He was specialized in fire weapons, as well as complete destruction. He was sure big though. No doubt he might have been as big as Magnus, though Rex couldn't imagine it yet until he transformed. And they wouldn't transform just yet. Not on a public road. But he was nearly as grumpy as Magnus was.

The fire red Search and Rescue Avalanche truck was Red Alert, the Security Chief of the Autobots. He also specialized more into Security and a little in medical treatment and seemed to be a colleague of the Chief Medical Officer, Ratchet.

The electric blue smart car was really the medic of the group. His name was Jolt and he didn't talk very much either. But he gave Rex a winking flash of his headlights as if greeting him as warmly as he could.

Now for the last one, the black and pink Bugatti Veyron; that one had stunned Rex and Cheetor in deafening silence. The young teenage human had heard of her, of course. Ultra Magnus had told him about her. But what he specifically said about her was the fact that she had been killed in battle because of Spitfire's betrayal to the Autobots. She had actually died in Optimus Prime's own arms while back on Cybertron. To see her there, on Earth, it was almost like looking at a ghost.

Her name was Elita One. She was the Leader of the Femme Autobots, which were called Valkyries.

"Wh-what?" Rex had stammered as he stared at the medium sized car with shock. "You're...You're Elita One? Optimus Prime's girlfriend?"

There came a light hum from the Bugatti as if she was amused but her front end dipped only a little on her tires. **_"Yes. I suppose I am. Optimus Prime is indeed my sparkmate. I guess it's no surprise for your shock to my revival. It's a very difficult and long story of how I am alive and I would not really like to repeat it at the moment. But short version of it, when the All Spark was destroyed, as Spitfire has told us, a part of its energy shot off into space and went straight back to Cybertron. The power of the All Spark can move at any speed it desires. And it must have been attracted to the Matrix of Leadership, which belongs only to Optimus. It had been with my remains when the energy of the All Spark returned to Cybertron and it somehow...well, it jumped started my Spark and revived me. I can't exactly explain it because I don't understand it myself. The one who can explain it might be Optimus. He might be the only one who will understand what happened." _**Elita One said in a very gentle voice.

Cheetor merely huffed but was smiling a rather big chesire's grin. "Well, either way, it's great to see you guys! There's too much to explain," His grin was gone as he looked serious again. "But Rex and I...we might just need your help. You see, Ultra Magnus is here. He's been traveling around with Rex, here. And they got into some serious trouble." He said, then he began to explain what he learned from Rex and Magnus.

Rex, of course, had to start at the beginning of how he even met the Autobot Commander, which every one of the Autobots had been pleased to hear about, and how he ran away from home to aid Magnus to finding Optimus and the other Autobots. He told them the short version of their story about Nemesis Strika's encounter and then with the bad Government group that called their selves the Department. He even told them that the Agents of the so called Department had threatened to kill Rex if Magnus did not surrender himself.

But to explain of what happened to Magnus, it nearly broke Rex's heart to be reminded that his best friend was lying in a forced recharge for trying to save his life. His eyes eventually starting stinging with tears as he explained to them what happened to Magnus.

By the end of it, every single one were in dead silence. And it was not hard for Rex to realize that they were not happy at all to hear that one of their Commanders was in such a grave situation.

"Please," Rex begged as he sat on his heels, looking around at the Autobots with teary eyes. His voice was cracking painfully but he was trying his best to be strong. "Please, please help me save Magnus. He's my best friend. He's basically my only friend. I can't let those people do such horrible things to him. He fought so hard to protect me from Nemesis Strika and the Department. He did everything he could to make sure I was safe. And this is what happened to him. All because of me. He was hurt really, really bad because he was trying to protect me. I have to save him. But I can't do it by myself. Will you help me?"

For a very long time, none of the Autobots said a word as they seemed to stare right at the human teenager. Prowl sighed heavily, turning his wheels a little. **_"Ultra Magnus broke some serious protocals, meddling in human affairs. It is a human violation to take a human Sparkling away from its legal guardians. It's going against what the Prime's orders are." _**

Rex's heart fell a little.

**_"None the less,"_** Elita One spoke up, rather grimly. **_"Ultra Magnus is one of the finest soldiers we have in the Autobot ranks. And he's my brother in law, basically. With the war going as it is with the Decepticons and the new found threat, we will need Ultra Magnus' fire power."_** She rolled forward a little, her bumper gently pressing against Rex's shoulder. **_"I will help you, Rex Rory. I will not leave Ultra Magnus in such danger. It is up to you, everyone, if you come with us to rescue Magnus. You can either do that, or you can go one with Spitfire to find Optimus. After Rex and I have freed Ultra Magnus, we will be right behind you." _**

A few engines rumbled a little almost thoughtfully before Spitfire rolled forward to sit right beside Elita One. **_"Sorry, my lady. But I'm going with you. If they want to go on looking for Optimus Prime and the Autobots, they'll have to do it without me. Because I'm with you." _**She said.

**_"Count me in, Elita One. Magnus is my commanding officer. I won't forgive myself if I leave him to die." _**Inferno growled his engine.

One by one, the other Autobots rolled forward a little to align their selves beside Elita One in a semi circle around Rex, whose heart was nearly soaring. He felt like his heart was going to burst with so much happiness. He couldn't believe that his luck had changed so dramatically within twenty four hours. He had believed that it was only going to be him and Cheetor that would go and try save Magnus. But now, he pretty much had a small army of Autobots right behind him.

With only Cheetor, he knew that they wouldn't have had much of a chance to rescuing the Autobot Commander. But with Elita One and her squadron of Autobots, they had a big chance.

Rex just smiled brightly as he looked from one Autobot to another. He couldn't wait to get on the road. He was finally one his way to rescuing Magnus. He didn't know how he could help him, but he was going to do everything he could to save the Autobot Commander. His best friend.

'Don't worry, Magnus. We're coming.'

And they were on their way within ten minutes. Rex was riding with Elita One while Cheetor was riding in the back of Red Alert. It did look pretty odd seeing a cheetah in the back of a Search and Rescue truck, but it worked. No one paid too much attention to them and when they did, they were mostly looking at the cheetah with awe. Some people even muttered that was quite the sight to see.

And one even snapped a picture.

But other than that, they didn't have any problems at all. It was probably because of Prowl being in the front of the group with Elita One and Inferno being in the back. They probably looked like a convoy or something.

It was only a few hours since the convoy of Autobots and the human teen even crossed the Montana border. It was taking a little while to try and find where the agents had taken Magnus. They had no idea where to even look for the agents' head quarters. There wasn't much of a trail to even follow. They had no idea where to even go. All they could do was spread out a search signal and hope that they could find Magnus' signal. That was the only hope they could even achieve.

But then as they approached Billings, Montana, Inferno nearly came to a quick halt, almost having Chromia and Moonracer run into his back end. **_"I found it! I caught Ultra Magnus' scent!"_** He shouted out loud. That made everyone feel a spark of excitment through their entire core. Rex, especially.

* * *

BAM!

A meaty fist slammed into cartilage, earning a wet smack and loud crack. Blood was pouring down from the owner's nose, his eyes tightly closed from the black eyes that the jackass had given him. He coughed several times, choking a little on blood that was trickling down his throat. He knew his nose was broken, if not shattered from the abuse.

"Stop it! Don't do this!" Agent Sean could hear Cole screaming, knowing that she was being held back and watching as Freddricks beat the living hell out of him.

It was easy to say, and not surprising, Sean was in some serious trouble for letting the boy, Rex Rory get away. He had been in serious trouble by Cole when she found out what he had done. She had done some good screaming at him and punching him repeatively in the shoulder until he nearly had a dead arm. But the most she was, she was terrified of what was going to happen to her partner when the Department had found out.

And now, she was watching his punishment with utter hopelessness of doing anything.

The minute the words had even come out of Sean's mouth about Rex Rory's escape, the Head of the Department, Hollander had ordered it. So with three agents holding Cole back, it was Freddricks who began to beat the shit out of Sean into a bloody pulp.

Now, Agent Sean was on his knees, his arms held tightly out to the sides by two other agents, was covered in blood and bruises. He must have had a few cracked ribs after getting the musclehead punched and kicked him several times. He knew he had a broken nose because it hadn't stopped bleeding yet and it hurt as hell. He could barely see out of his swollen eyes where Freddricks punched both of them.

Just as Freddricks was about to swing his meaty fist again, he caught sight of a hand flashing up and he held his fist. He was being stopped by the Boss. He knew better than to hit Sean again when the Boss told him to stop. So he stepped back and folded his large brawny arms across his chest and lift up his head, glaring down at Sean below him. There was smug glint in his eyes though. He had enjoyed beating this pretty boy of an Agent.

Choking on blood, Sean used some strength to lift his head to look at the dark suited old man standing against the wall. Strings and bubbles of blood stretched and expanded with every strained breath he could manage.

The Boss, Hollander, was at least in his sixties, but not frail whatsoever. He was actually very strong looking, if not a little short. He was nearly completely bald if not for a patch of gray to white hair spreading across the back of his head, interlocking with with circular beard and mustache surrounding his aged lips. His eyes were a dark brown, almost black. And they were not friendly but evil. He was not a very happy old man, that was for certain. He wore a dark midnight blue suit with an lighter blue tie tucked in his suit jacket.

And boy, did he look seriously grim.

For a long moment, Hollander didn't speak a word but stare darkly at Sean. He ignored the harsh breathing from Cole, not sparing her a glance. It was only Sean he was angry with. He knew that he should have punished Cole for letting Sean poison her with sleeping pills. He should have punished her for letting her guard down and letting her ridiculous partner let the little teenage bastard go. But Sean had made it very clear that it was not her fault. He knew that this Agent was protecting his partner. And he would respect him for it. But he would not respect his decision for letting the Rory kid go.

"Agent Sean, you severely disappoint me." Hollander finally spoke, his fingers pressing together in front of him in an upside down triangle. He took a few steps forward in his expensive classy shoes, making them click against the tiled floor beneath them. "You have failed your mission and have chosen to pity a meaningless little brat who will probably expose us now." He shook his aged head as he slowly began to circle around the pitiful looking man on the ground. "But that was your intentions, wasn't it? Expose the Department of the Alien Weaponary Research. Aka, Sector Three. Wasn't it?"

Weakly, Sean lift his head, trying to look at Hollander. "Leave Cole out of this. It wasn't her fault. She wouldn't...she didn't..." He said in strained and painful breaths.

Hollander's hand snapped out and back handed the man's face, causing his head to snap to the side. He grimaced at the blood that came back with it before digging into his pocket and pulling out a hankerchief. "Shut up. You just shut your traitorous mouth." He warned darkly as he wiped the blood off his hand and then throwing it at one Agent, who caught it with a grimace. "You've caused enough trouble already. Trouble for your partner. But seriously enough trouble for yourself." He moved to stand in front of Sean, looking darkly at his beaten form. "Well guess what? You get your wish. Agent Cole will not be held accounted for your actions. But you on the other hand," He said shaking his head.

"No." whispered Cole, already knowing what was coming.

"You will be retired from the Department from this day forward. Consider your retirement present given to you when you get back to the Main Headquarters." Hollander continued, ignoring her.

Sean lowered his head only once before lifting his head again, looking up at the old man. "I don't...I don't c-care what happens to me, you fucking old bastard. But wha-what about the boy? What are you...?" He was saying.

Hollander narrowed his evil dark eyes before bending down a little to look Sean directly into the swollen eyes. His face even darkened into something almost un-natural for a human being. "What do you think will happen to him, Sean McCourie? Because of you, now we're going to have to hunt him down and make sure he doesn't find those aliens before we do. You. Just. Murdered. Him. In the most painful way managable." He said acidly before standing up straight.

Glaring through bloody and puffy eyes, Sean's mouth clenched tightly before he managed to gather enough spit and blood to shoot down at Hollander's feet, getting it all over his expensive shoes. They were most likely ruined now.

Looking down at the bloody spit, Hollander's face only darkened again before he looked dangerously at Sean. He stared at him for a long moment before spinning around and clicking his fingers as he started down the hall. He didn't even turn around to watch Freddricks punch Sean hard in the head, hard enough to knock him out.

And all Cole could do was watch as Freddricks grabbed a fistful of his torn and bloody shirt and start to drag him away. 'Why, Sean? Why did you do this?' She demanded mentally before she was released. She wanted so much to do something. She wanted to help Sean for defending her. She wanted to beat him for defending her and scream at him to tell her why he had let the boy go. But she already knew the answer of why. She knew that Sean could not bear the thought of knowing a young teenage boy like Rex Rory being murdered for the silence of the Department. And it killed her to know that Sean was going to be retired once he got back to the Main Headquarters in Washington D.C.

He was going to die.

No.

Her eyes darkening as she lift her head and watch as Freddricks turned a corner, letting Sean's head slam into the wall as he tried to pull him down another hall. She watched as Freddricks only barked a laugh before doing it again and dragging Sean away.

There was no way in hell she was going to let Sean retire. Not in that way that the Department was going to retire him. She gritted her teeth as she began to formulate a plan. It looked like she was just going to have to break Sean out and escape with him. And together, they were going to find that damn kid and make sure the Department didn't touch him.

And she had a very good idea of how to start it.

And it dealt with the damn alien robot that saved her and Rex's life. It looked like she was going to have to bust that creature out, no matter how much she hated it's metallic pipes and wires or whatever was inside of it.

* * *

The building was well guarded, that was for sure. At least it was guarded from any humans who dared to try and break into this facility. There were fifteen foot high electric fences surrounding the compound, including at least six guards walking around the entire building. Not to mention a few K9 dogs and one guard house sitting at the gate. And the security cameras would be a big deal about sneaking in too.

Yup. Definitely tight security.

Even for the Autobots that were with Rex.

"Geez. How are we going to even get in there?" Cheetor asked, sitting down on his haunches as he and the other Autobots and the human boy sat in the shelter of dark trees.

Luckily, it was after dark so no could see the vehicles right at the moment. Though it was a surprise they managed to hide Inferno within the trees as it was. How could really miss a large fire truck anyway?

Rex, however, was a little worried about how they were going to get in and save Magnus. He knew it was going to be very difficult to get to him. More or less, they didn't have a clue where he was being kept. He scanned the entire compound, noting the three warehouses carefully as the Autobots were. The warehouses were big, yes. But he wasn't sure if they would be keeping a nearly 25 foot alien robot in one. There was even a big office looking building there too, but he highly doubted that was where they were keeping him.

So, it must have been the warehouses.

**_"It looks like there may be an underground facility within this compound. That might be where these humans are keeping Ultra Magnus." _**Red Alert finally spoke up.

Rex looked at him with surprise. He hadn't heard him speaking very much during their short time of knowing one another. But more or less, he was surprised of what he said. "Huh? How do you know that?" He had to ask. He felt the hidden eyes of the red Avalanche truck look over at him before it hummed as if amused.

**_"I'm the Security Chief, Rex. It's easy for me to hack into the security system and find out the layout of this human facility."_** Red Alert said, sounding very amused.

Biting his lip, Rex couldn't help but feel a spark of hope within him. He liked the sound of that. "Do you think you can find Magnus through the security system then? Maybe you can find out where they're hiding him and that way we can easily get to him and get him out without any problems." He stated, trying not to sound too excited.

For a very long moment, Red Alert was quiet as if he was considering the very option that Rex had pointed out. His headlights even flickered a little as if he was looking up something and Rex could only think he was trying to do what he suggested. All he could do was wait and watch like the rest of the others were doing.

But then Red Alert sighed, though it sounded more like a growl. **_"Slaggit. They've got the security system locked up tighter than I thought. If I proceed with pushing through their firewall, it might alert them. And they will know something is up. That may very well just make things worst. I think the only way of getting through their firewall is if someone else other than myself does it. Or any of us Autobots. They might be looking for our alien signatures as it is." _**He grumbled unpleasantly.

Every one of the Autobots, minus Cheetor, sank down a little on their wheels as if very disappointed. The Maximal just hung his head and flattened his metal ears in irritation. They all had hoped that Red Alert could do something.

But to the Autobots' surprise, Rex's face actually lit up as if he came up with an idea. And he had. He didn't know what brought this thought to his head but he believed he might have figured out a way of pulling this off. It was going to be very risky for the person he was thinking of. But if the person was truly a "Computer God" as he had said he would, maybe he could do it.

"Wait a minute. I've got an idea. But it's going to take a computer and internet access." Rex said almost brightly.

Surprised, the Autobots shared a curious glance with one another before looking back at the young teenager. Elita One rolled forward a little, getting closer to Rex.**_ "Rex, you can use one of us. We've got access to the World Wide Web. Just tell me what to do and I will do it." _**She told him.

Rex nodded and did tell her.

Within the next few minutes and moving a little further away from the strange Government facility, Rex was looking at a projected image coming from Elita One's headlights. She was shining a holographic simulation of the internet all around Rex, who was quite impressed with how she was doing it. He wondered what else she or the Autobots could do but they didn't have time to discuss it.

As it was, the one armed teenager had signed on to his chat room and was frantically searching for the one he was looking for. He just hoped the guy was on. He knew they didn't have too much time before they were either discovered or Magnus was offlined for good by the evil humans who had used him as bait against his giant best friend.

And sure enough, after a little while of looking, Rex found "masterspitzy_spitz" on another alien conspiracy board, trash talking someone else for their theories. He, obviously, hadn't liked that person's idea about how the alien robots were actually humans who were altered into robotic forms, who then evolved into bigger robots. Rex didn't blame "masterspitzy_spitz" one bit.

_t-rex: Hey! Masterspitzy! Remember me?_

Rex had Elita One type up on the chat board, trying to get the hacker's attention. He just hoped that "masterspitzy_spitz" was in the mood to talk to him. He seemed too involved with arguing with the other guy.

But sure enough, again, the reply came back.

**masterspitzy_spitz: Dude! Dinosaur man! What is up, scaley! I've been wondering where've you been! I've been looking all over for you! Did you get caught when we last talked?**

Rex had to bite back a smile, really wanting to chat with the hacker. But he kept it in mind that Magnus was in danger.

_t-rex: Yeah. I did. But I can't talk about that right now. I really need your help with something. It's something urgent._

There was a pause before the reply came back.

**masterspitzy_spitz: Did the suits show up and started blackmailing you? Because if they did, they're probably scoping us right now.**

_t-rex: No. It's not the suits. Not exactly anyway. _

_t-rex: Actually I really need help with something. You said that you're a Computer God, right? So does that mean you can get into a very top secret file no matter what it is?_

**masterspitzy_spitz: Dude, you just said the magic word. Yeah. I can almost bypass any road block. Remember? I told you that when you tried to block me. So what do you got for me? You trying to get into a police file and erase something that you did? I can do it for you.**

Rex grimaced at that thought. He was just glad that he hadn't gotten into that much trouble yet.

_t-rex: no. It's not that. It's actually a little more serious than that. I need layouts of a top secret Government facility that's in Montana. It's near Mount St. Helena. You know the volcano?_

For another long moment, "masterspitzy_spitz" was quiet. He didn't reply back for a long time before he finally did about five minutes later.

**masterspitzy_spitz: Dude, this is very illegal and can get you into a prison from nine to twenty years. You sure you want to know?**

_t-rex: Does that mean you've found it?_

Rex couldn't help but feel excited about what he was about to learn. He seriously hoped that the hacker had and would help him.

**masterspitzy_spitz: Oh, I found it all right. It took me forever. **Rex had to roll his eyes at that part. It had only taken him five minutes to find it. **But this place is locked tighter than a snake's grip on a rat. It's got firewalls up to the kazoo. One touch of getting past a firewall, it's going to shut everything down and put a tracking system on you. They will be on you so fast, or me, for that matter. **

_t-rex: Please, Master. I really need to know how to get into this place. It's a state of emergency._

**masterspitzy_spitz: Tee, no offense. You're cool and all and it's cool talking to you on the net about the people from the big black up above us. But I've only talked to you twice in my life. Three times, counting this one. Give me a really good reason why I should help you? **

**masterspitzy_spitz: If we get caught, we will be in so much deep doo-doo. These people are not messing around with their security system. They are really good. **

Rex's shoulders slouched at the thought. He knew he was asking too much of a total stranger. But his best friend's life was on the line. He had to do what he needed to do to make sure that Ultra Magnus came out safe.

_t-rex: It's too long of a story, Master. But to make it short, I met one of THEM. The ones that we've been talking about. He's not like what you think he is. He's here to protect us along with several others. But right now, he's in serious trouble all because of me. He got caught by some weirdos that don't even have a connection with the Government. They're someone else. They kidnapped me to get to him and they nearly killed us. And now, they're going to experiment on him and maybe tear him apart. All because of me. I have to help him. He saved my life more than once. He's my best friend. He's my only friend, really. He actually treats me like I'm a normal person when I'm not really. I'm a one armed freak. _

**_"Rex, don't you talk like that." _**Elita One suddenly scolded him.

Rex had to spare her a thankful smile. He was only too glad that she wasn't putting up with his normality of putting himself down. She didn't like it. And neither did some of the other Autobots, by the sound of the growls and tsks that they were giving him. Even Cheetor was giving him a dark look of disapproval. "Sorry." He told them before looking back at the holographical image of the chat board.

Masterspitzy_spitz had replied, with great excitment.

**masterspitzy_spitz: DUDE! ARE YOU SERIOUS? YOU'VE ACTUALLY MET ONE OF THE ALIENS? AND MADE FRIENDS WITH IT?**

Rex grimaced at the bold words. He just hoped that none of the Government people were watching their conversation at the moment.

_t-rex: yeah. I did. And he's really cool. Maybe some day you can meet both of us. But please, I have to hurry and find him in this facility. If I don't, he may die. And if that happens, you won't ever get to meet one of them. _

**masterspitzy_spitz: That's WAY awsome, t-rex! I would love to meet an alien! I got so many questions to ask! Man! You are something, you know that!**

_t-rex: Master, it won't happen if you won't help me._

**masterspitzy_spitz! Right, right! I get the point. Okay. I'll do it. I'll have to be very quick, so just stand by for a few minutes. I'm going to bypass the security system and upload the entire layout of this place. I'll send it to your computer so be ready to shut it down as soon as you get it. Cause if it's up and going when I get done, it's more than likely they'll scope both of us. For me to get scoped, it's easier for me to get away. I'm good at dodging technies. But you're not. **

**masterspitzy_spitz: Also, I just thought of something you just said. You're that Rex Rory kid that's been on the news, aren't ya? The one who's from Alabama and ran away from home because of somethings not going your way. **

Rex grimaced when he read that. He hadn't wanted "masterspitzy_spitz" to find out about him but he would have guessed it anyway due to him admitting that he didn't have a left arm.

_t-rex: yeah. I guess I am. And I didn't runaway from home because things weren't going my way. My friend needed my help. So that's why I left. _

**masterspitzy_spitz: Yeah? Well, I guess I can't hold you against anything. If it'd been my choice, and if I would have thought about it, I would have run away from home a long time ago. Sometimes the fam just drives me nuts. Especially the kid sister I have. She won't shut up about how hot Johnny Depp is. Ugh. **

Rex laughed, and heard a few of the Autobots chuckle along with him. Even the tough femme, Chromia was laughing a little.

_t-rex: Thank you so much for helping me, Master. I really appreciate it. This means a lot to me. _

**masterspitzy_spitz: Ewwww! You're turning all softie on me, dude! Don't do that! It'll make me cry!**

**masterspitzy_spitz: NE way, stand by and the stuff come through. Just be careful, man. You're going to need it. By the looks of what they have in this place, it ain't going to be easy sneaking around in there. Not without help from the inside. **

_t-rex: Thanks again. _

**masterspitzy_spitz: Btw, since I know your name, here's mine. It's Leo. Catchya laterz, Dino man!**

And the conversation ended.

All Rex and the Autobots could do now was just wait to see if Leo would come through with what he had promised. They really hoped that he could find a way to get to Magnus. And they hoped that he wouldn't get caught. Rex really hoped that he wouldn't. He had already seen what these people were capable of. And he didn't want his E-buddy to get into serious trouble just because of him.

And he certainly didn't want these Department people to do something to make sure that Leo didn't say another word or anything.

It took about ten to nearly twenty minutes to get anything back. Rex had started to pace back and forth, trying to think of what they could do to get into the compound. That was another thing he needed to concentrate on. But it wasn't easy to think about anything when thoughts of what the Department people were doing to Magnus. He prayed to God that nothing had happened to him. He begged his parents that they would give him courage to do what he needed to save Ultra Magnus.

But after a long wait, Elita One perked up on her wheels and clicked on the holographic imager again, showing a map of the entire compound. **_"It's in." _**She said, getting everyone's attention.

**_"Hurry, my lady! Shut off the web."_** Moonracer perked up.

**_"It's already done, like the young human had said for us to do. We haven't been found out yet." _**Elita One said as she looked around with her hidden eyes. **_"Uploading the map now." _**

The holographical map of the entire compound showed up right before them and several of the Autobots and even Rex had to just stare. By the looks of it, there was a huge underground base right under their very own feet. It was huge, really. It must have gone five miles down and then nearly six miles wide. Not all of the layouts were shown but they got the idea that there were huge rooms within them. Probably for testing whatever alien experiments they might have been performing.

But either way, everyone was slightly happy to see them. It looked like it was big enough for all of them to walk around in as their true forms. But it also meant, they had the information to go rescue Ultra Magnus. There didn't seem to be any sign of where he might have been kept but it was probably one of the larger rooms.

**_"Have to hand it to that hacker kid, but he's really smart to be able to get all of this for us." _**Inferno remarked.

Elita One just dipped her bumper as if she was nodding before she turned off the map and looked around at everyone. **_"Alright. It looks like it's going to be a little difficult but we should be able to pull this off. The question is how are we going to get in? Any ideas?" _**

**_"Why don't we just bust in there? It'll be easy to start shooting the place up and get down to Ultra Magnus."_** Quick Change said, almost quickly.

**_"That's too dangerous for the humans, Quick Change."_** Red Alert scolded at him. **_"They might have done some serious wrong but we can't endanger the humans. Optimus Prime would not like it if things started to explode just because of us and get some humans killed." _**

Quick Change made a sound as if he was pouting. He had wanted to just go in and start a riot. And because he started pouting, so did Shuttershot, who had decided to join everyone. He was a strange looking little Autobot. Small, yet he took the look of a humanoid. He was nearly completely silver with the exception of a few Cybertronian markings.

Rex, however, bit his lip as he thought of something. He knew that they wouldn't like it but it was the only thing he had. "Um, I've got one. It's a little risky but I think it's the best so far." He looked around at everyone as they looked back. "The Department people are probably looking for me since Agent Sean let me go. He's probably in trouble for it too. But...they'll be looking for me so that I can't say anything. Sean made it very clear that they were going to kill me because I knew about them. But why don't we just have you pretend to be Department people that found and captured me and was bringing me back to the base?" He asked.

Of course, Elita One didn't like it. It was a very good idea but it would mean risking Rex's life. She couldn't do that to a youngling like him. It would be putting him into too much danger. **_"No, Rex. It is a good idea but that would be too dangerous for you. We can't risk your life. It's against the Autobot code doing something like that." _**She told him, trying to be gentle about it.

"But it's my life to risk, Elita. And Magnus is my best friend. I have to help him. Please," Rex told her beggingly. "Just use me to get in. It'll be the easiest way to get in."

Elita One just sighed, wanting so much to shake her head though she couldn't because she was in her vehicle form. She couldn't do it. She couldn't risk this youngling's life like he was asking to.

But Spitfire eventually decided to stand with Rex on the matter. **_"My lady, I'm sorry. But Rex has a point. It's the only way to get in without causing such...drama. Or, whatever the word I'm looking for is. Besides, he'll be with us. What more danger could he be in? With all of us watching over him, nothing is going to happen to him. I'll even watch him myself." _**She told the Femme leader.

Again, Elita One sighed but she knew that Spitfire was right. So she turned her attention onto Rex. **_"Rex, we will do this plan then. But you are to do everything I say. If anything happen to you, I will not forgive myself." _**She looked around at everyone. **_"Unfortunately, not all of us can go in. Some of us will have to stay out here and keep a look out. When we find Ultra Magnus, we will need a diversion to getting out. So we will overlook Quick Change's idea." _**She ignored the said Autobot who had perked up. **_"The team to go in will be Prowl, Jolt and myself, along with Rex. The rest of you position yourself all around the base. When we give the signal, start shooting at random places that is least dangerous to the humans. Is that clear with everyone?" _**She asked.

**_"Yes, ma-am!"_** Every Autobot barked as quietly as they could so not to give away their position.

Rex, however, couldn't take the grin off his face. He was finally getting in. He would be the one to save Magnus, his best friend. 'Hold on, Magnus. We're here. We're coming in to get you!' He thought desperately to his friend.


	18. Chapter 18 Surprise Twist

Title: Big Bad and Red

Genre: Action/Drama/Friendship

Rating: T for some strong language, some violence, mild adult content, some crude humor.

Summary: Sixteen year old, city slicking orphan child, Rex Rory lives in Alabama and he has only one arm. What else can go wrong? Oh...yeah. He just met a huge alien robot that turns into a big, temperamental, red Mack semi truck.

* * *

~Chapter Eighteen~

_Surprise Twist_

* * *

It came as a surprise to Rex that all of the other Autobots could use holographical imagers too. Though, he should have expected it. He had learned that as soon as he climbed into the back of Elita One's vehicle form. He learned that as soon as Elita One even clicked her holoform on, along with Spitfire's, who had decided to use it as a partnership with Elita's.

Both of the holoforms were women, of course. But both of the holoforms were also very pretty women.

Spitfire's human form was of a young adult with fiery reddish orange hair spilling down to her upper back in curls and waves. Her eyes were nearly icy whitish blue, almost the color of ice. She, like Elita One, had taken to wearing slightly tight dress pants and fiery red blouse under a black leather jacket. She told Rex that her human form's name was going by Ember.

As for Elita One's human form, Rex couldn't help but stare at her. She was going by an Asian look. Her face was almost ivory colored and very fair. Her long snarl free hair fell straight to her lower back with a slight wave to it. But her eyes were a nearly watery blue, the color of deep, deep sapphire. She wore nearly the same thing as Spitfire, only her blouse was a very pale pink.

Prowl just looked like a cop really. He was going for a normal police officer cruiser, too plain to even describe. And Jolt basically took on a doctor's look. He was rather young, at least in his late twenties. His hair took on a inky black with a blue shine to it, cut in a neat style. He wore a black suit with a deep blue tie. He was just trying to be less conspicious, really.

Finally, it was time to put on the act.

Elita One was leading the small convoy with Prowl closely behind her. She and Spitfire put on a very serious face while Rex was trying to look terrified and pathetic. He was playing the part of a helpless kidnapped boy who didn't know what was going to become of him. Jolt was somewhere in the back, just keeping quiet.

However, they were stopped at the gate, where a guard got out of the Guard House and approached Elita One's driver's side. He didn't seem to notice who was behind the wheel but as soon as he got a look at her human form, he nearly froze in his footsteps. He was obviously taken by surprise of how beautiful Elita's human form was. "Uh..." He nearly said stupidly. It took every will that Rex had not to laugh. "Um...I'm sorry." The Guard said finally shaking himself from staring at her. "I'm sorry, lady. This is a private company..." He was saying.

Elita One's human form just looked dryly at him. "I'm a Department Agent reporting for duty, guard. I'm here with the boy that the Department has been looking for. Now if you don't get out of my way, you're going to be talking to my supervisor and you're not going to like it." She told him as darkly as she could manage.

The Guard was flabbergasted but more intimidated. He quickly glanced in the back at Rex before nodding. He didn't want to stay in the icy cold glare that Elita One was giving him. So he backed away and waved to his partner, who nodded and lift the gate. "Um...I'm really sorry, Agent...um..." He was saying.

"Agent Lady to you." Elita One said coldly before she drove forward.

Rex was doing all that he could to keep himself from laughing, while Spitfire just out right laughed, looking over at her superior officer. "Nice one, Elita." She had to say.

Elita One merely smiled at her before she took it right off her face and put on the serious look again. She was putting her guard back on for the guards that were scattered all over the yard. They were eyeing her real form with surprise and suspicion. It was their job to be suspicious after all.

"When we get inside, Rex, look afraid again. Don't talk to anyone. Let me do all of that. I'm going to act a little cruel to you so I can fit the part of these humans, so don't be too afraid of me." The femme Leader told him.

Rex merely nodded as he took a deep breath. He knew that Elita would probably say that. He was going to have to do a lot of reminding himself that she was only going to put on an act so that they could fool the enemy. He would have to keep himself looking afraid the entire time so that they could reach Magnus. And he prayed that his best friend was okay. He hoped that nothing bad had happened to him.

"All right. We're going in now. Spitfire, you're to stay with my real body. Just as a look out." Elita One said, glancing at the red head, who nodded. "Prowl, you and Jolt will need to be with us. If we speak to each other, it will mostly be on a channel so that we don't rouse any more suspicions from these humans. Everyone else, stand by for the signal. If you see any kind of suspicious activity from the humans, anything that may look like they will start attacking us, begin the proceedure. But remember not to harm any humans. Understood?"

Spitfire only nodded.

_**"Yes, ma-am. We're on it." **_Red Alert's voice came through the radio system.

Elita One nodded back before she pulled up next to one of the warehouses and parked next to it. "Okay. Show time." She stated before she opened her door and her human form stepped out.

Prowl's human form was already walking towards her and opening the rear door before pulling Rex out. He, like always, had a very serious look on his face, playing the part of a tough Agent very well. Rex did his best to look scared but non-resistant like Elita One had asked him to.

With a brief glance around, Elita nodded to Prowl and Jolt before heading towards the building with a stone cold look on her face. She was doing very well on keeping up her serious appearence. It definitely had some guards convinced as they walked right up to the door of the building and entered. They didn't even stop the four to find out what they were doing there.

That is, until they got inside.

There was a guard station right inside the door, where to guards were sitting and talking. But they stopped immediately when the four entered. Each one of the guards gave Elita One a look over before eyeing Prowl and Jolt with suspicion and then Rex. One stood up and moved to intercept them, frowning the entire time.

"I'm sorry, ma-am. This is a restricted area. This is no place for a kid to be in." He stated.

Elita One gave the guard a cool look, playing it up. It seemed to work because he faultered a little. She just ignored his look in return as she lift her head, tossing her long black hair back over her shoulder. "I'm Department Special Agent Won and I'm reporting in. We found the boy that the Department was looking for and we've been ordered to bring him in immediately. So if you'll let us be on our way, we'll have no problems." She stated, starting to move around him.

But the guard side stepped, holding up a hand while the other touched his gun. "One, I don't recall ever hearing your name before. And two, I don't ever recall getting the report in about agents bringing in the wanted fugitive kid. If you were ordered to bring him in, then you're in the wrong building. This building is for Scientific Research. Only special coded agents are allowed beyond this gate and that kid is definitely not on the list. You will need to take him to the Main Office." He told her, seriously.

Elita One gave him a very cold look as she tried to keep up her serious appearence. "I'm not sure you don't understand, Security Guard. And I know you're just trying to do your job. But this is where we were told to bring him. If you don't like it, take it up with the boss." She said coolly.

It was enough to make even Rex shudder. He hadn't liked the way she had said that at all. And he was sure that the guards didn't either.

In fact, the guard was now giving her a pretty dark look. "I don't think you understand, lady. No one gets in here without a special permit. And if you had that permit, you'd be flashing it off right about now. Now, turn around and take that kid to the Main..." He was saying.

"Stephens!" Someone barked sharply, making everyone tense up. Rex especially when he heard HER voice. "What are you doing stopping these agents? Didn't you just hear what they said?"

The Guard grimaced before turning around to allow the teenager and the Autobots to see the serious look on Agent Cole's face. She must have been walking by at that moment and spotted Rex with Elita One, Prowl and Jolt. And she must have heard what the femme Autobot had said because she was giving the Security Guard a very dark and cold look. "Agent Cole, what a surprise. Aren't you suppose to be on suspension for your screw up earlier?" He asked dully.

Cole gave him an even darker look as she walked right up to him, nearly shoving her face in front of his. She was definitely a very scary person, that was for certain. It made Rex shudder to see her tough side like this. "What did you say, Stephans? I didn't think I heard you right. Or did you not hear what I said? I said, they were ordered to bring the Rex Rory kid to this building. It was ordered by Hollander, himself, that the kid be brought straight to him. Unless you want to explain to the big man about why you didn't follow the orders that was given to you, get the hell out of the way and let them through. You're just a Security Guard anyway. A rent a cop hired to guard the damn door. You're not paid to ask questions. You're paid to let in Special Agents." She said savagely. "Now, move your ass out of the fucking way."

"Hm. I think I like her." Prowl murmured quietly and Rex almost made the mistake of smile. He managed to fight it though.

The Security Guard looked like he wanted nothing more than to just throw a fist back and punch Cole across the face for talking to him like that. But he knew better. He knew the fiery red head's temper problem and knew that it was better not to piss her off. So he stepped to the side.

"God. What a bitch." He murmured nearly under his breath as he turned to go back to his station.

He didn't get very far because Cole roughly grabbed his shoulder and swung him around right into the wall, slamming his back against it. She was nearly snarling in his face as she gripped the front of his jacket. "I'm sorry. I didn't quite catch that, Stephans. Did you just call me bitch?" She demanded, tightening her grip. "Do you not remember what happens when someone calls me that? Remember, Stephans, that Agent Sean is the only one who can keep my anger in check! And right now, he's not here! So if I were you, I'd watch what you say to me! Because if you don't, I'm going to knock you out. Got that?" She snapped into his face.

The Guard swallowed hard, as did the young teenager as he stepped ever closer to Prowl, who didn't seem to mind at all. "Y-Yes, ma-am. I'm sorry for my rude words. It won't happen again." He swore.

Cole nodded sharply before roughly shoving off of him and stepping back. "You better, Stephans. Or I'm going to do to you what I did to Freddricks." She then turned towards Elita One, who still looked calm as ever. "I'll take it from here, Agent. Give me the boy and I'll make sure he gets to Hollander." She told her.

Elita One narrowed her eyes a little but shook her head as she tilted her head slightly. "That won't be nessessary, Agent Cole. I caught the boy, I will take down to Hollander, myself. I don't want anyone to steal my credit for my hard work of finding the kid." She said coldly.

For a moment, Cole and Elita One glared daggers at one another. If it were possible, there would have been ice crystals dancing right off the Department Agent right now.

But then Cole bobbed her head into a nod before tossed her red waves back and placed a hand on her slender waist. "Fine. Be my guest. But I'll still take it from here. You can either follow me, or hand me the kid. It's your choice." She said darkly.

"Very well. Lead the way." Elita One said just as coolly.

Cole nodded before she turned with a jerk and started to walk away. She didn't even look back as Elita One glanced over at Prowl and Jolt, giving them a nod before offering the meekest smile to Rex before they followed after the Agent.

For a very long time, the Department Agent, the Autobot human forms and the teen were quiet as they walked down a long hallway until they reached an elevator. Cole waited for only a second to glance at the four behind her before hitting the down button and holding her thumb against the button, much to their confusion.

_"Scanning fingerprint. Analyzing, analyzing. Fingerprint belonging to Special Agent Cole. Entry accepted." _A computer voice spoke up before the doors opened up.

Much to say, Rex was very impressed with that kind of security system. He had only seen such things in movies but this...it was almost state of the art. It was really cool to actually see.

One by one, each of the five climbed aboard the elevator with Cole being the last. She merely glanced at everyone else before turning and hitting the only button there was on the panel. The button going down. The doors closed and the elevator began going down. Rex was standing between Prowl and Jolt but he could see Cole pretty well through the mirror like metal on the doors. He had to frown a little when he noticed that she was eyeing something in the corner.

Frowning even deeper, the teen looked up in the corner of the elevator and spied a square of black platted glass. He couldn't help but wonder if that was a hidden camera. But he had to ask, why was Cole eyeing the camera?

And then it hit him.

Rex felt his heart clench as he realized that whoever was behind the camera was probably running an identity scan on Elita One, Prowl and Jolt to find out if they really were Department agents. He had to warn the Autobots about Cole's plan. He bit his lip before looking nervously up at Prowl, who didn't look back. He was too busy staring at the back of Cole's head, probably trying to figure her out. So Rex looked up at Jolt instead and used his elbow to nudge him.

Frowning, Jolt looked at him and rose an eyebrow at the wide eyed look that the teen was giving him.

Rex swallowed hard before tilting his head towards the camera before quickly glancing up at it to give him an idea of what he was talking about. He carefully looked back at the metal doors to see what Jolt's reaction might be and he was satisfied to see that he was looking up at the camera. He noted that the Autobot medic was frowning and squinting his eyes briefly before turning them onto Elita One, who did tilt her head towards him. Rex figured that Jolt was communicating with her through their private channel. He watched her next as she tilted her head towards the camera and looked up at it from the upper corners of her eyes. She was frowning as if trying to think of something to do about it before looking forward again.

But it was right at that moment did Cole even move. She spun around quickly, making all three Autobots tense up and Jolt quickly pushed Rex behind him to protect him. But it was to their surprise did Cole grab the railing in the elevator before kicking up high, narrowily missing Prowl and hitting the camera. The glass shattered on impact of her foot, breaking the camera.

All three Autobots and the teen froze in surprise before they had to move as Cole lashed her foot towards Prowl. The Second in Command of the Autobots quickly moved back, avoiding her foot before growling and starting forward.

"Prowl, stand down!" Elita quickly stated before moving in the way between him and Cole. She gave the Department agent, frowning deeply at her. "Why did you break the security, Agent Cole? Did you not want your fellow Agents to see what you were planning?" She asked.

Cole just narrowed her eyes at her before she swung her fist to attack but Elita ducked quickly before reaching up and catching her arm, sending her spinning against the door. "Let go of me! I'm not going to let you take the kid to Hollander!" She snapped.

And again, everyone froze with a surprised frown.

"What do you mean? Are you not with the Department?" Prowl asked, in a confused tone.

Cole tried to jerk out of Elita's grip but she found that the other woman was quite stronger than her. It surprised her that she couldn't break free, more or less, even move. "What the hell?" She demanded in a bewildered tone. "How...how strong are you suppose to be?"

"Agent Cole," Rex quickly spoke up. "Please, don't fight her! She doesn't want to hurt you! She's not allowed to."

For a moment, Cole almost didn't listen as she kept trying to jerk her arm free before stopping and looking at him through the metal. She narrowed her eyes in confusion before they lit up, noticing that all three of the 'Agents' had nearly glowing blue eyes from the intensive moment. "Wait...wait a minute! You're not Department Agents! Who the hell are you? What are you doing with Rex Rory?" She snapped.

"My name is Elita One, Agent Cole." Elita spoke up quite calmly as she kept Cole pinned to the elevator wall. "We are not here to hurt you. We are only here for Ultra Magnus and we are taking him with us where he will help us protect Rex from your people, who has threatened to hurt him. It disgusts me that your people would even try to harm a sparkling like Rex." She added almost coldly.

Cole froze before she shoved herself hard away from the door, forcing Elita to let her go. But instead of attacking again, she turned around and gave her and the other two a weird look before looking at Rex, who was standing very close to Jolt for any protection he was offering. She frowned deeply before looking back at the three. "You're not human. You're one of them. What are you doing with the kid? What are you going to do with him?" She asked, almost in a demanding tone.

Elita frowned at her but kept on her stony face as she looked Cole right in the eye. "We are going to protect him from your people, Agent Cole. Your people threatened to kill him just because he knew information that you did not want him to know. Now the question that I want to know, what were you going to do with him if we were not what we are and you managed to offline us? Why did you destroy your security camera?" She asked, stonily.

Almost glaring at her, Cole almost didn't answer for a moment before she lift her head and straightened. "I was going to protect him. The Department wants him dead because he knows too much about them. But I wasn't going to stand for that. I was going to free that big red alien and use his help to find my partner, Sean and then we were going to find the kid and take him somewhere safe." She explained.

Her words surprised Rex and the Autobots. They glanced at one another questionably before looking back at Cole. They honestly couldn't believe it.

But Rex was looking at her with wonder and amazement. "You mean...you were going to go save Magnus?" He asked almost excitedly. He really believed her and thought that was a good thing of her to do such a thing. She was going to save the alien robot that she helped capture. "But I thought..."

"Don't get me wrong, Rex Rory. I really hate these things." Cole said, motioning to the three Autobots in the elevator. "But if I can use your alien robot to save Sean's life before he ends dead for letting you go, then I'm going to do it."

A wave of guilt hit Rex and he looked away almost ashamed. He couldn't believe that good people like Agent Sean or Ultra Magnus were getting hurt just because of him. He felt so bad that things were happening to the people who only wished to keep him safe. They were getting hurt all because of him. He had never felt so low in his life than he already felt. So it couldn't be helped when he lowered his head, looking such.

"Rex." Elita One began, already figuring out that was wrong with him. She turned and placed her hand onto his shoulder, ignoring how Cole tensed up when she made contact with him. "Rex, don't look like that. I know you must be feeling terrible for what happened to Ultra Magnus, or this human, Agent Sean. But you mustn't. They were doing what they thought they needed to do to protect you. You are a Sparkling in our eyes. Above of all, over our own kind, over human adults, and especially our friends, we protect Sparklings, children of man. You are more special than you think you are. Ultra Magnus would have not helped you if he didn't know that. He is a tough warrior on the battlefield and even tougher to the bots he commands. But when it comes to Sparklings or children, he's shown a great deal of soft spark." She told him gently. "Rex, the most important part thing you must think of is the fact that you are attempting to save Ultra Magnus. He won't like it that you're risking your life but once we get both of you to safety, you and Agent Sean, he'll get over it. He'll feel honored to be have rescued by such a brave and special human boy, like yourself."

Feeling only a little better, Rex smiled up at her. He was very grateful for her words. It did help his guilt a little. But there was still that pinch in his heart. "But they got hurt because of me. I can't be...well...I can't be worth that much." He stated, his throat tightening.

Elita One and Jolt both smiled down at him and they both shook their heads at the same time. But it was Prowl who said what he needed to hear. "But you are, boy. You are worth everything to Ultra Magnus, otherwise he wouldn't have done what he did to protect you. You mean everything to him just by listening to you and Cheetor talking about your time together. By the sound of it, he's appointed himself as your Guardian. And when an Autobot takes a ward as their Guardian, there is a bond between the two that can never be broken. In life or death. He's going to do everything he can to make sure you stay safe." He told the teenage boy.

And Rex smiled a little more, feeling much more better. He couldn't help but feel lighter. He liked the idea of Magnus being his Guardian. It felt...it really felt right. He felt like he wanted and needed to be protected by Magnus. So he just nodded. "Then let's go save him. If he's my Guardian, I'm his Guardian. And I will do what I need to do to save him." He confirmed boldly.

All three Autobots smiled almost proudly and nodded before they turned to look at Cole, who actually looked surprised and astonished to hear such light words coming from alien robots in holoform. She took a minute to blink before she put on her serious face and nodded. "I guess I have no choice but to work with you then. Looks like I was wrong about you." She then scowled. "I hate being wrong."

Rex laughed a little while Elita One just smiled and shook her head. "We all do, human and Cybertronian alike. That's what makes us so similiar. But it's our hearts and Sparks that make us common. We'll protect those we love and care about." She told her.

"Ugh! I do not love or care about Sean! He's so annoying and he's always teasing me and pissing me off!" Cole growled as she turned with a jerk to face the doors. But none of the Autobots nor the teenage human missed the slight blush on her face. They just waited for the elevator to reach the floor that she was taking them to.

It only took a few minutes but when the elevator doors opened up, the three Autobots and the teenager was rewarded with quite the sight to see.

The room before the elevator was huge. It was nearly twenty five feet from floor to ceiling and propably three football fields wide on each side. There were catwalks every where with wires and tubes hanging every where. Computers and humming generators were stationed along the walls while a huge platform sat in the middle with computers all along it. There were at least three platforms within the room but only two were occupied. Rex and the Autobots could not believe who was occupying at least one of them.

While Ultra Magnus was on one of them, strapped down with heavy metal bands and chains, the other in the same situation was Nemesis Strika.

And it was very clear that she was out of commission just like Magnus was.

Still, it surprised Rex and the Autobots as soon as they saw her. Their eyes lit up with alarm as they looked at the large black Decepticon before shooting to Cole, who did not look surprised at all. She was already moving into the quite empty room, towards one of the computers.

"Wait!" Rex blurted out, catching her attention and making her stop. "What's Nemesis Strika doing here?"

Cole frowned before looking over at the big black alien robot. She stared at her for a moment before rolling her eyes and looking at Rex. "What do you think it's doing here? We captured it as soon as we caught yours. The scientists are pretty sure its dead. It hasn't moved or came online once while being here. But the Department didn't want to take any risks. That one has electroshocks connected to its restraints. If it does come back online and start trying to blow up like it did at the bridge, nearly hundreds of electricity is going to strike it to take it down again." She told him.

Elita One, Prowl and Jolt made a grimace as they looked at her. "You do realize you have a Decepticon in your possession, do you not?" The too serious Prowl asked.

Cole rose an eyebrow in his direction and gave him an impatient look. "You aliens are all the same to the Department. You are alien invaders who we're trying to figure out. We didn't know that there were two fractions of you things. So it really didn't matter to us what robot was what. So what the hell is the problem?" She asked almost in a demanding way.

Rex winced while Prowl glared at her. Elita One just shook her head as she remained calm, not caring the way that Cole was talking to them. "Decepticons are our enemies. They're the ones who wish to destroy the human race while we're here to protect them." She looked back at Nemesis Strika, making a face. "That one is Nemesis Strika. She's a General of the Decepticons, directly under the Decepticon Leader, Megatron."

"That thing is a female?" Cole asked, skeptically as she looked wide eyed at the big black robot.

Elita One nodded as she looked over at her, smiling faintly. "Yes, she is. One of the few females in the Decepticon ranks. She's also a very powerful one and not one we usually like to mess with. She's partial to holding grudges for a number of years. She's had a very big grudge against Ultra Magnus for hundreds of years. That's probably why she's been trying to track him down since she arrived on your planet. She's been trying to kill him for quite a while." She explained.

Jolt merely nodded as he was already starting to move forward to look at Ultra Magnus. "Yes. But it's not easy taking Commander Ultra Magnus. He's a very strong and powerful Autobot in our ranks. He's nearly a step down from our leader, Optimus Prime. Whom is his younger brother, by the way." He turned his eyes onto Magnus and frowned. "All right. I'm going to begin now, Elita One." He told her.

"Begin what?" Cole asked frowning, watching him with suspicion.

Jolt just glanced over his shoulder at her before shaking his head as he turned back to Ultra Magnus and tapped his forehead. It was too Rex's and Cole's surprise when a red beam shot out of his eyes and began to roam all over Ultra Magnus' fallen form.

Elita One just folded her arms and shifted her weight as she watched him starting to work. "Jolt is one of our medic students. He's been studying directly under our Chief Medical Officer, Ratchet for years. He's quite talented at it too. So far, he's been Ratchet's best student. He's just going to scan Ultra Magnus and determine his status. He'll find out what's wrong with him and come up with a conclusion of what to do to bring him back online." She explained.

While she was speaking, Rex found himself moving a little closer, looking painfully up at Ultra Magnus. He felt his heart clenching to see the Commander so still and lifeless. He hated seeing his best friend like this. He wanted to see him moving and talking. He wanted to see those glowing blue eyes looking down at him with a proud look, just as if he was his father. He couldn't stand seeing Magnus just lying there, motionless and looking so dead.

"Jolt? What's the status?" Elita One asked once Jolt's scanner beam went off.

Making a wince, Jolt shook his head as he turned towards her, pausing to glance at Rex when he whirled around looking so hopeful. "Oh, Ultra Magnus is in bad shape, Elita One. He's in forced recharge after having a surplus electric charge. It looks like it's an electric overload. So I'm guessing it's when he tried to save Rex and Agent Cole from the falling power lines that put him this way. He's got some serious damage to his armor but they're minor compared to what's going on with his spark." He explained.

Rex's heart clenched again as he whirled around to look at Magnus' chest plate before turning back with a jerk. "Is it okay?" He asked with worry.

Jolt glanced at him again and returned a sad look. "It's overloading. He's still got quite a bit of electric charge in his system and that's what's causing him to stay in recharge." He announced.

Cole frowned and shifted her weight. "So, what does that mean? Can't you do anything?" She asked, sounding aggravated. She was definitely getting a little impatient. She didn't know how long Sean had before he was 'retired' and she was sure that it wouldn't be long with them just standing there, looking at the big red robot.

"Yes. I can do something. That's a plus on my behalf of being here." Jolt told her pointingly. "What I need to do is pull the electric currents out of him. I guess it's fate or destiny that I'm here because electricity is my specialty. I can change the currents to come to me out of Ultra Magnus."

Rex knew what that meant and had to wince. He knew that wasn't going to be very pretty at all when it happened. But Cole frowned, shaking her head impatiently. "So why don't you get right to it?" She asked sharply.

Jolt looked at her skeptically and rose an eyebrow. It was his turn to look impatient. It wasn't just because of the way that Cole was talking to him. It was because she didn't seem to catch onto what he was trying to say. "To do that, I need my real body to be here. That means, I have to come in. But that might trigger the alarms and alert all of your pals." He said sarcastically.

It was easy to say that Rex was taken back a little when he saw how surprised Elita One and Prowl looked when Jolt snapped right back at Cole. They clearly didn't expect him to do that. So it was probably not often he got like this.

Cole, however, seemed to find it amusing because the corner of her mouth turned up, though she was fighting not to smile at him. She didn't want to smile at an alien robot. But she was starting to fail. So she turned her serious face back onto the thought that the robot needed to be inside to work on Ultra Magnus. "Oh, shit. You mean I have to open the doors and let you inside? Oh, that's going to work." She grumbled before going towards a computer. "That is definitely going to trigger the proximity alarms. It's going to send every single bastard that's still here in a frenzy." She whirled around and gave Jolt a narrow eyed look. "All right, you better move fast. Because once that door opens, the alarms are going to kick in and there's going to be floods of guards coming over this way to make sure that nothing happens to these two robot aliens."

"Where is the door?" Elita One asked carefully.

Cole glanced over at her before she pointed straight up. "Up there. They're well hidden in the woods surrounding this place but you'll spot it opening up when I hit the button. So, if you got any distractions planned, I suggest you get it going, right now." She warned her.

Elita One, Prowl and Jolt looked at one another before nodding and the femme's eyes dimmed while Jolt seemed to melt right out of view. He was gone before anything else could be said.

And that's when the explosions started from somewhere above.

Elsewhere in the hidden base, eyes snapped wide open when the man heard the explosions and the alarms starting to go off. "What the hell?" Sean yelped as he looked around his cell with swollen eyes.

He was quite the mess and he hurt all over after what Freddricks had done to him. But more than anything else, he was in quite the slump. He had woken up only moments ago, feeling like he had been ran over by a truck or two. He realized exactly what kind of situation he was in when he saw that he was in a prison cell. He knew that he would die soon because of what he did for that boy, Rex Rory. But he did not regret it. He refused to let his crummy job kill off a teenage boy just because he knew too much about the Department.

One thing that Sean was grateful for was the fact that he had managed to pick pocket Freddricks' ID card while he had been talking to Hollander. Of course, it helped a lot that his fellow Agent was a complete idiot and had put it in his back pocket instead of his inside jacket pocket like he was suppose to. All of the agents had been told to put their IDs in the specialized Department badge wallets so that things like this never happened.

It was only a better thing that Freddricks didn't check his pockets while he had been out like a light after being punched like that.

After resting his eyes, and getting the shock out of his life, Sean could only sit on the metal cot and look around with bewilderment. "What in the hell is going on out there? Sounds like we're being attacked."

Sean just didn't know that he was half right.

Agents were scampering every where after the attack had come. A lot of them had been napping in the temp rooms set up for them. Freddricks had been one of them. He was already locked and loaded for what was to come. But he already knew where he was going. He had a feeling that it had to deal with the two alien robots they had in the science labs. So that's where he started going to.

As soon as Cole hit the button to open the doors, which were somewhat slow to open, that's when the alarms went off. She saw Rex attempting to cover his ears with his hand his shoulder at the shrill screams of the alarms but she immediately adverted her attention to the doors that were slowly opening on the ceiling.

A night sky was what she saw first before a large dark blue thing came jumping down into the hidden base. Her first instincts were to tense up and yank out her weapon. But she stopped when it glanced at her first before hurrying over to the big red robot. She realized that it was that man, Jolt's real body. He was already beginning to work on the big robot while the other two flickered out of view before they were joined by two other robots. She couldn't help but stare in amazement at the size of all three of them. They were no where near being the same size as the big red one but they were sure big.

"Jolt! Hurry!" Elita One urged as she began to look around as she carefully lowered herself into the lab. She paused to bend down and pick Rex up, causing Cole to tense up again. But she ignored her and stepped back.

Prowl, however, turned to Cole and offered his hand. He only shook his head when the Agent gave him a very suspicious look. "You would be safer in my hand, Agent Cole. When Jolt gets started on Ultra Magnus, you do not want to be near them." He warned her.

Again, Cole gave him a look but she slowly stepped into his hand, allowing him to lift her up. She went down to one knee, leaving her breath a little behind her as she rose into the air. It was definitely something new to her. She felt like she had just gotten on a High Rise ride. She felt nervous about being in an alien robot's hand but when she saw what Prowl had meant, she knew that she had made the right choice.

Especially when the dark blue Medical Autobot stretched out his arms towards Ultra Magnus and there was a loud electric snap as a pair of electric wires shot out of his wrists and snapped right onto the large red Commander.

"Starting EMP recharge! Clear!" Jolt immediately said just like a doctor would when trying to revive a dead patient.

There was a loud electric pop before the zapping noise echoed all around the room as bolts of electricity began to stream through Jolt's wires right into Ultra Magnus, causing his motionless frame to jerk and spark up with all of the volts streaming into him. And within only seconds, the volts reversed and began streaming into Jolt, causing his body to jerk and his head to be thrown back as he hissed. He sounded like he was in pain but he was holding it in pretty well.

It seemed to be bothering Elita One to see him like that because she was looking intentatively at him with a pained expression on her very lovely metallic face. Prowl, of course was impassive as ever. He just stood there, watching carefully as Jolt worked. He didn't look worried though.

Rex and Cole were both watching with facination and surprise as electric volts were running right into Jolt, causing his and Magnus' body to jerk. It was like watching some kind of electric light show. Only they knew it was more dangerous. Especially when some of the volts were falling down onto the ground. They realized thatit had been a good idea for Elita One and Prowl to pick them up. If they hadn't, it was more than likely they would get electric sparks on their skin and probably burn them.

Though, Rex's eyes mostly stayed on Magnus' face, watching with hope in his heart. He was watching his best friend's eyes, waiting for them to light up out of recharge. They flickered very dimly but didn't actually light up as he really hoped.

It did not help at all when there were shouts from across the room, causing everyone but Jolt to jerk around to see that security guards were now rushing into the room, armed to the teeth. And when they seen the three robots standing near the motionless one, they began to point and shoot at them. Elita One and Prowl were both quick to turn sharply and protect Rex and Cole from getting hit from the bullets. But it was starting to aggravate them when the bullets began bouncing off of Jolt, causing him to jerk a little and try to look over his shoulder. It was starting to affect his work on Magnus and it didn't seem good.

Cole huffed angrily after being shot at by the guards. She did not want this right now. It was starting to piss her off because they hadn't noticed her or the teen boy. And if they had, they didn't seem to care that they were in the line of fire.

Turning her furied eyes onto Prowl, she slapped his metal hand to get his attention. "Put me down! Now! I'll deal with them!" She shouted at him over the gunfire.

Prowl just frowned but was quick to do what she said. He put her behind one of the computers, where she dove off his hand after about five feet and barrel rolled to slow her fall. He could only watch as she ducked low behind a desk before turning and running across the room without catching any attention from the guards. She was very fast on her feet as she began running up some of the stairs just down from the guards before she arrived to the first one.

Cole moved as fast as she could, throwing her fist forward and connecting with the first guard's face, causing him to cry out in alarm and pain as he hit the ground. It definitely caught the others' attention. They turned sharply with surprise only to see her moving quickly, punching and kicking through them. She was moving like a martial artist through them, spinning and kicking at them, sending them to the ground.

"What the hell? Agent Cole, what are you doing?" One guard managed to yell out before he got clobbered in the face by her fist.

Eventually, the security guards decided to fight back but they were no where near being as good as Cole was. She was too much faster and lighter on her feet, not to mention she had better skills than they did. She briefly caught sight of Jolt looking at her, hesitating a little in his work. "Don't you look at me, Bluesparks! Get that tinman up and going, now!" She barked before she ducked a flying fist at her head. She threw her elbow back and landed it into a guard's chest, knocking the air out of his lungs.

Jolt sharply turned back to Magnus and returned to what he was doing. He knew he needed to hurry it up. But with injuries like Ultra Magnus, time was never really on his side. He was not Ratchet and he knew that the Chief Medical Officer could do this a lot faster than he could.

But it seemed that luck was on his side because there was a bright flash near Magnus' face and he looked to see what it was. He would have been grinning if he wasn't distracted by a loud boom. He jerked his head up to see that somehow, Nemesis Strika had woken up too. She must have been in her own recharge other than forced. She probably had shut herself down just to heal herself after how many hits she had taken from Ultra Magnus and the humans. But after hearing all of that noise that Cole was making with the guards, it woke her up. She was now shooting at the machines that were holding her down and clambering to her feet.

As soon as she looked over to see three Autobots and several humans, she snarled and began to raise her cannon to shoot at Jolt to stop him from getting Ultra Magnus up and going.

Prowl quickly moved around the large platform and blocked her range, aiming his own and glaring at her. He was quick to shoot her, sending her reeling right off her own platform and crashing heavily to the ground. He was already moving to attack her again while Elita One and Rex watched with either anticipation or serious calmness.

"FR-FRAGGING SO-SON OF A GLITCH, NEM-MESIS STRIKA-KA-KA! DID-DIDN'T I TE-TELL YOU TO BACK THE FRAG OFF?" Came that roar that Rex had been waiting to hear. He turned with a jerk and looked over at the now moving very quickly Ultra Magnus, who was glaring straight at Nemesis Strika as she got back to her feet and snarling back at the Autobots.

And he looked severely pissed off.


	19. Chapter 19 DON'T MESS WITH KIDS!

Title: Big Bad and Red

Genre: Action/Drama/Friendship

Rating: T for some strong language, some violence, mild adult content, some crude humor.

Summary: Sixteen year old, city slicking orphan child, Rex Rory lives in Alabama and he has only one arm. What else can go wrong? Oh...yeah. He just met a huge alien robot that turns into a big, temperamental, red Mack semi truck.

* * *

~Chapter Nineteen~

_DO NOT MESS WITH KIDS!_

* * *

"Magnus!" Rex cried out cheerfully. He was so happy to see that Magnus was up and going again. He had been worried that he had lost his best friend for good. But seeing him getting to his feet with Jolt's help, the young teen couldn't more happier than he was right then and there.

Of course, the same couldn't be said about Ultra Magnus as he just glared straight at Nemesis Strika, who was glaring right back at him. He was already starting to twist and turn his arm right into his cannon, ready to fire.

"Ultra Magnus! Nemesis Strika! We don't have time for this!" Elita One shouted, keeping Rex close to her chest plate. "We did not come to save you, Nemesis Strika, but right now we don't have time to fight you! So you either lower your weapons now and let us escape this facility together, or I'll shoot you myself!"

Of course, hearing Elita's voice, Magnus couldn't help but freeze dead in his tracks from shooting Nemesis Strika and turned his astonished looking eyes onto her, staring with alarm. He couldn't believe his very eyes. And truth be told, neither could Nemesis Strika, for even she had stopped from shooting her enemy just to stare at the suppose to be dead Autobot femme. They stared for a moment before it was Cole who broke them out of their stunned thoughts.

"We don't have time for a stare down, big tin cans! If we stay here longer, the more trouble we're going to get in! And I still need to get Sean!" The Agent shouted.

Magnus blinked several times before looking around. He began to realize that there were alarms going off, including explosions going off from somewhere above them. He didn't know what was going on but with a glance at Rex, and feeling grateful to see him doing all right, he knew they better get going. He looked directly at Elita One. "I'm going to want an explanation after this." he told her.

Elita One nodded with a smile on her face. She knew that he might say that. So she would definitely explan later. But right now, she did need to help Cole after she helped them. So she looked around at everyone. "All right. Let's do this." She turned her eyes onto Cole, nodding as she carefully set Rex down. "You best hurry. We don't have very much time now. I'll send Chromia with you." She told her.

Cole only frowned in confusion until she realized that something else in the room had changed. Especially when the big black one, Nemesis Strika was looking ready to start firing off her guns. She wasn't the only one who noticed. All four Autobots in the room turned to give the Decepticon a very dark look, daring her to even start something. She didn't seem to care that they were giving her such a pointed look.

"Autobot scum!" Nemesis Strika snarled. "You think that you out number me four to one I'm still not going to take you down?"

"Ah, ah, ha." Someone said from above her, surprising her to look upward. "Make that twelve to one, Decepticon Glitch."

And it surprised Cole completely to see several other giant alien robots looking down into the lab with their guns trained right on Nemesis Strika. There were two small ones and several big ones, including one that looked like some kind of giant cat. She couldn't believe that there were so many at the base, trying to save one simple large robot and a teenage kid.

But more or less, there was no way that the big black Decepticon was going to survive if she started something with them. They would blast her to pieces before she could take one down. Especially when all of their cannons were starting to glow threateningly. It had been Quick Change who had spoken, grinning almost evilly at the Decepticon while his smaller counter part sat on his shoulder, with his own cannon, though his little pea shooter looking weapon probably wouldn't have had much affect on one large Decepticon.

"My lady," Chromia said coldly as she ached to just fire upon the one Decepticon. "What's your orders? Take the Con down?"

Elita One frowned seriously as she turned her eyes onto Nemesis Strika who was glaring at her. She knew that they should have killed the Decepticon. She knew it would come back and haunt them if they didn't take her down. But she honestly didn't approve of such numbers against one. "No. Hold your fire but keep your cannons trained on her." She turned her full attention to the Decepticon. "Nemesis Strika, right now, you are no match for all of us. You're damaged very badly and there is no way you're going to be able to take out all of us before we take you down. Now, I'm going to give you the choice to leave peacefully while we deal with this little mess we've gotten ourselves into. If you don't leave now, then you already know what will happen." She warned the other femme.

Growling, Nemesis Strika really did not want to take her suggestion of retreating. She was aching to take down at least Ultra Magnus. But she knew that if she tried that right now, she was going to be blown to bits with all of those Autobot cannons on her. So she lift her cannon and yeilded. "I will leave. But don't you dare think that this is over, Ultra Magnus. I still have a score to settle with you." She growled.

Magnus narrowed his eyes but nodded. "Very well. We'll settle it some other time. But for now, get your aft moving before I decide otherwise." He said coldly.

The Decepticon growled at him before she jumped upward to outside. She shot the other Autobots a look when they kept their cannons on her but she didn't return the favor. She just growled viciously at them before she transformed into quite a beat up looking monster truck and sped away into the dark night.

"All right!" Magnus began to growl, not sounding happy at all. And it took a moment for everyone to realize that he was glaring straight at Spitfire. "Someone better explain HER right now before I shoot her!" He snarled.

Elita One sighed, while Spitfire rolled her eyes and turned away to look across the yard as some more guards were starting to fire upon them. "Magnus, can it please wait till we get out of here? We don't have time to explain anything right now. As far as I understand, the human that let Rex go, Agent Sean, is going to die. We don't know when or where but we made a deal with Agent Cole that if she helped us save you, we would help her save her partner." She told him.

Magnus frowned as he glanced over at the impatient looking Cole before looking at Rex, who smiled and shrugged at the same time. He was definitely confused right now. There was a lot of missing details and it wasn't doing him any good. "Fine." He grunted before shooting Spitfire another look, though she ignored it. "You better have a good explanation for being here, Decepticon lover!"

Again, Spitfire rolled her eyes and began muttering to herself as she threw her arms above her head.

"Red Alert, you have the base files. Where can we find Agent Sean?" Elita One asked the one she was speaking too.

The large red and bulky Autobot frowned as his eyes dimmed a little, probably looking at the map. He was like that for a moment before he looked back at Elita One, frowning. "It says here that he was in a containment cell but this is very strange. But my sensors are showing me that no one is in that containment cell." He informed all of them.

Cole stared at him, alarmed to hear that. "What do you mean?" She asked hurriedly.

Red Alert just shook his head with a frown as his eyes flickered back and forth, trying to find the information. "It's hard to say. But the cell was opened just as soon as we began our diversion. It looks like the person to have opened that cell was an Agent Freddricks." He told her.

Her heart clenching, Cole looked horrified and angry at the very same time. She knew that Freddricks must have went after Sean again. It was more than likely her partner had probably been beaten to death or he was already being shipped off to the Main Headquarters for his retirement plan. "No." She murmured.

Rex did not like that either. He felt his own heart clench to think that something bad must have happened to Agent Sean. He didn't want it to be so but he couldn't see what else might have happened. He didn't want anything to happen to the one Agent that had actually shown him kindness instead of contempt or loathing.

"No." The teenager hissed through his teeth. "I'm not going to accept that! I'm going to go find him and help him like he helped me!"

With that said, Rex turned and started towards a door, while everyone looked after him. Magnus sighed heavily and shook his head as he took a few steps after him to stop him from going too far. "Rex, there's nothing we can do. Red Alert can scan the entire base, looking for him, but you can not go off on your own. It's too dangerous. We should start leaving while Red Alert helps Agent Cole find her partner." He told him, reaching for him.

Rex just shook his head as he kept his face completely straight and serious. He wanted to get out of there as much as everyone else did. But he wasn't going to leave Agent Sean in such dangerous hands. "I'm going to go find him, Magnus. He freed me when he was ordered to kill me. Now I'm going to free him..." He was saying as he reached up and grabbed the door handle, yanking it open.

However, he ran smack dab into a very strong and powerful chest, causing him to bounce right off of it and nearly hit the ground.

Frowning, Rex looked up at who he just ran into before his breath caught sharply in his chest. He did not want to see the one person that they were just thinking about at all. And it wasn't Agent Sean. It was Agent Freddricks. He looked just as surprised as Rex did but that surprised look immediately vanished into a sly grin as he snorted. "Well, well, well. Look what we have here." He chuckled nastily.

"Shit!" Rex exclaimed before turning around to run back to Magnus, who tensed up the very second he saw Freddricks, along with Cole. He started to move forward to snatch Rex up and away from Freddricks' arm length but he was already too late.

Agent Freddricks lashed out and grabbed Rex by the back of the shirt and yanked him back into his arm while he frowned seriously when he saw all of the alien robots. He immediately had a knife in his hand, pressing close to the boy's neck. "What the hell are you doing awake, Big, Bad and Red?" He demanded as he looked directly at Ultra Magnus, who was starting to growl. His eyes snapped open a little wider when he saw quite a few glaring blue eyes looking right at him as cannons began to whirl to life. He had almost missed the fact that there were a lot of giant alien robots in the lab.

Magnus growled as he pointed his cannon right at him, but did not fire because of Rex being in the way. "Do you really want to do this again, Agent Freddricks? Let Rex go now or I will..." He was saying.

Freddricks snorted loudly as he pressed the knife closer to Rex's neck, who wanted nothing more than to struggle and break right out of his grip. But there was no way he would be able to do it. He was sunk in very deep troublesome mud. "Oh, yeah, Big Red! I do want to do this again! This is the same part where I'm holding this little jackass right between us while all you do is threaten me when you know what will happen if you shoot at me. You want this kid alive, you ain't shooting." He sneered.

Cole glared at Freddricks where she was standing. She almost stepped forward, wanting to take him by surprise again like she had at the power plant. But she didn't even get one step forward when her fellow Agent snapped a glare at her.

"You go right ahead and come punch me again, bitch! I dare you! I know you're a cold hearted bitch but I highly doubt that you will endanger this kid!" Freddricks snapped, starting to apply more pressure to Rex's neck who winced when he felt the sharpness of the blade starting to dig into him. He knew it hadn't broken the skin on his neck yet, but it was getting very close.

"If you hurt him, you better hope these things break their oath about hurting you, Freddricks." Cole said with a very deadly tone.

Freddricks snorted as he stepped back with Rex, who didn't want to comply but didn't have a choice. "Oh yeah? How about I just finish what you were suppose to finish, Cole? You were ordered to kill this little shit and you didn't. And now you're little playboy is going to pay the price. He's gonna die by morning because you two had a change of heart." He warned her.

Cole narrowed her eyes at him, her fingers itching for her gun she had strapped to her back. She really wanted to grab it and shoot Freddricks. But, like the several Autobots, if she did that, it was more than likely Freddricks was going to carve a bloody smile on Rex's neck. "What did you do to Sean, Freddricks? Did you kill him?" She demanded.

That seemed to have taken Freddricks by surprise though as he blinked at her. He looked as if he didn't have a clue what she just said. "Huh? What are you talking about?" He demanded, pulling the knife a little ways from Rex's neck.

Her eyes lighting up a little, Cole stared at him. "You did something to Sean when all of this started! What did you do to him? Answer me!" She snapped.

"Uh, bitch. I didn't touch your stupid ass boyfriend." Freddricks said sarcastically, yet his eyes still full of confusion and suspicion.

Suddenly, an arm shot around from behind Freddricks and forced its hand between Rex's throat and around the blade of the knife. The hand didn't even seem to care that the sharp metal cut into its fingers while another hand grabbed a hold of Rex's arm and yanked him right from under the Agent's arm. It sure made Freddricks jerk around before a rather bloody fist slammed right into his nose, no doubt breaking it as he went flying to the ground.

Everyone was quite surprised to see Agent Sean standing there, wincing as he shook his cut up hand and keeping his other hand on a stunned Rex's shoulder. He stopped shaking it for one moment to look at the cuts in his hand before looking back down at Freddricks. "Who's the stupid ass now, bitch? Don't ever mess with this kid again, Freddie." He said darkly, though it probably didn't matter because it seemed that the other Agent was out cold from getting hit so hard. He gave Freddricks a light kick in the leg to make sure he was out before looking down at Rex with his rather dark eyes. "You all right, Rex?"

"Yeah." Rex managed to say before he looked down at Freddricks, who no doubt was going to be very angry when he woke up again. "Dude, that was a nice hit."

Sean snorted, wincing at all of the sores he had in his body before looking sourly at Freddricks. "Yeah, well he had that coming for a little while now. I've been wanting to do that since the day I met him." He looked back at Rex, frowning. "Didn't I tell you to get home or go find those robots?"

Rex laughed weakly as he shrugged. "I really don't listen very well." He admitted.

Magnus snorted as he bent down and offered his hand to his young teen friend, who sat down. "You're telling me." He grunted.

Sean turned his swollen eyes onto the large red robot before looking quite astonished to see so many more. He froze for a moment, taking in all of their appearence before stepping back when the dark blue one stepped forward. "Uh..." He was saying.

Even Cole was looking at Jolt with a raised eyebrow, who just shook his head. "Your injuries are quite serious, Agent Sean." The medic stated before his fingers shifted and the metal pads seemed to roll aside, revealing medication. "I stocked up when I first arrived, seeing that I'm more than likely going to work with humans while being here. I thought they might come in handy." he told the human agent. "One of the little brown pills may help with some of the pain you are feeling. I believe they are called Ibuprofan."

Still quite astonished, Sean looked directly at Cole and stared at her. He really didn't even have to say anything because she understood. She merely rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Just take one, Sean. Apparently, he's a doctor." She told him.

Sean hesistated before taking a pill right out of Jolt's fingers and threw it into his mouth. He swallowed it dry before looking around the entire area, noting all of the robots still standing at the door high above them. He was still quite surprised but instead, he shook his head and looked back at Magnus. "Well...I guess it's nice to see you're up and walking again, Big Guy. That kid of yours," He nodded to Rex who sat smiling on Magnus' hand. "He sure worried a lot about you after what happened at the power plant."

"Hmm." Magnus hummed before smiling a little down at the human at his feet. "And I worried about him. But sounds like you nearly sacrificed yourself for him. For that, I'm very grateful to you."

Sean just smiled and shook his head. He, however, seemed to have remembered something immediately and frowned seriously at Cole. "Cole, we need to get these guys out of here. Them and that kid. I stole Freddricks' card to get out of jail but on the way over here, I overheard some guards saying something about some our Agents bringing those weapons out to use against the intruders." He told her.

Frowning seriously, Cole nodded before looking up at Elita One. "Well, we have my partner. How about we get the hell out of here before the Department shows up?" She asked, sternly.

"Hmm. Somehow, by the tone of your partner's voice, we don't want to see these weapons that he is talking about." Elita One guessed out loud.

"Yeah, you guessed right. They're newly developed powerfully EMP charged weapons. They can knock out an entire city with one round." Sean stated, sounding as if he wanted to laugh and be sarcastic at the very same time. It wasn't even hard for him to do at all. "As far as I can tell, a lot of electricity don't do your bodies good after seeing what happened with Big Red, there."

Magnus made a sound that was between a groan and a growl as he threw his head back. "Jeeze. Everyone's never going to let me live that down, are they?" He groaned.

Elita One, however, ignored him as she looked around at everyone and nodded. "All right. We got what we came here for. It's time we roll out before we run into any more trouble." She looked back down at Cole before offering her hand to her and Sean. "Why don't you come with us? You'll be safer with us." She offered.

Cole just shook her head. "Out of this damn base, yes. But once we get far away from here as possible, Sean and I are taking that kid home to Alabama. He's got a family out there that are worried sick about him." She told her.

"No!" Rex immediately blurted, feeling his heart skipping beats. "I ran away from home, Agent Cole, for a reason. I will go home when I'm ready to. And that's not going to be until I see Magnus back with the Autobots." He shook his head when Cole started to open her mouth to argue with him. "I promised Magnus that I would take him to Optimus and I mean it. I'm not going home until I see the other Autobots." He said seriously.

"Rex, you have a family who are worried about you. Don't you miss them?" Sean asked frowning at him.

Rex lowered his head for a moment before nodding. "Yeah. I do miss them. But my uncle was going to put me in foster care because I'm an one armed kid and I can't stay out of trouble. I need a break from Alabama. Do you know what it's like being a freak with one arm?" He asked, seriously.

"Rex," Magnus stated as he looked at him. "You're not a one armed freak. Quit putting yourself down like that. So far, you're one armed and yet you just saved my life. I think you're a little more than what you think you are." He recieved a surprised look from Rex before he smiled when the teen looked grateful for his words. He turned his eyes onto Cole and Sean, frowning at them. "For now, Rex is coming with me to meet Optimus Prime and the other Autobots. After that, I'll personally take him back to Alabama to speak with his family to see if they can come up with a plan of what to do with Rex. He'll be safe with me." He told them.

For a moment, both Agents frowned at one another before Cole sighed heavily and nodded as she stepped up onto Elita One's hand and then helped Sean up. "He better be, tinman. If anything happens to him on your watch, you better watch your bumper. Because I will ram you with something." She warned him.

Magnus merely smile before he looked up at Inferno as he and Red Alert began helping the four Autobots out of the base. He paused only once to look over his shoulder to see an old man standing at one of the lab windows, watching them go with such a solemn but irritated look. He narrowed his eyes at the man before he reached up and took Inferno's and Red Alert's hand, allowing them to pull him out.

* * *

It was not long at all before the entire convoy of Autobots sped away from the Department base. They drove for a long while until they were a good fifty miles away from where the base was standing before they finally pulled over to let Cole and Sean off. It wasn't really until after Jolt dealt with Sean's hand though when they had both requested that they left them somewhere.

"Thanks, guys." Rex told them from Magnus' passenger window, looking down at the pair of Agents as they stood next to a rental car. "I owe you a lot. I'm really sorry you had to quit because of me."

Sean and Cole merely glanced at one another before shaking their heads and looking back at Rex. "Ah, don't worry about it, kid. I've been trying to figure out a way to get out of the Department for a long time. You helped me a lot with myself and getting Cole out of there. We really do not like working for those people." He stated. "They are not good people. You better be very careful where ever you go, Rex. You know too much about the Department now. They might try to come after you."

Rex nodded solemnly before looking at Magnus' human form as he leaned across him and looked down at the pair of former Agents. "What are you going to do after this? You stated to Rex that the Department doesn't let your people just quit from there. You have to die in battle or of old age. So doesn't that mean, they will come after you too?" He asked carefully.

"Oh, they're gonna come after us all right." Sean said, making a face. "But we're kind of counting on that for a little while. Cole and I," He paused looking at his partner. "We're going to lead them on a wild goose chase to get them off your trail. You take care of that kid, Ultra Magnus. Maybe someday we'll end up running into each other. Your or any of you." He said, looking around at the many cars parked all around them.

"It would be an honor." Magnus just stated. "Just take care of yourselves."

Cole and Sean both nodded before they climbed into the rental car and started to roll away. They paused for another moment to look up at Rex, who waved at them. But then Sean rolled down his window and nodded to Rex. "Rex, when you get to that Optimus guy, warn him about the Department. There's no way the Government is going to know about them, but it's better if they start looking at the old Sector Seven files. It's going to be very hard to find something but it'll be a start. Tell 'em to look for the number three." He told him before he drove off with Cole.

Rex just frowned before looking at Magnus, who shared a shrug with him. He just reached for the seatbelt and buckled up before looking around at everyone. "Okay. So where to next?" He asked. "Can we stop at the Twin Falls in Idaho?" He asked.

Magnus sighed and raised an eyebrow at him. He stared at the teenager for a moment before smiling and shaking his head. "You and your road trip ideas." He grumbled in a friendly tone. He then turned his eyes onto the sport red Lotus Elise. "Spitfire, I know you explained a little about yourself and what you've been doing but just so you know, I'm gonna keep my eye on you. Don't you do anything funny."

Sighing, Spitfire just started rolling forward onto the road that would lead them towards Nevada. "For crying out loud, people. I'm not going to betray the Autobots again. I would never do that. The only reason why I did..." She was saying.

"Yeah, yeah. I know, I know. You said it five or six times already. You betrayed the Autobots to save Bumblebee from getting his head blown off his shoulders by Megatron. I'm not happy about that, but I see where you were going." Magnus grumbled at her. "But if Optimus trusts you after what you did, then I don't see why I can't. Just take us home already, will...?" His eyes snapped wide open before the passenger door swung open and the seat belt snapped back right off of Rex.

A second later, Rex yelped as he was dumped right out of Magnus while being caught by Cheetor as the large Autobot Commander snarled and turned with a jerk. He wasn't the only one to start growling when they heard the loud crashes and revvs of a powerful engine.

Rex barely could see right under Magnus, only to see four very large wheels he recognized. He had to sigh in irritation to think that once again, Nemesis Strika had come back to fight Ultra Magnus. He looked at Cheetor, who was growling like an annoyed cheetah getting poked with a stick. "She just doesn't give up, does she?" He asked with a groan.

"Nope." Cheetor growled.

"Ultra Magnus! I am tired of having to chase you down! We settle this right here and now! If you don't fight me right now, I will make sure that your human will suffer the ultimate consequences of your pathetic actions!" Nemesis Strika snarled as she made a quick transformation. She was already whirling her cannons ready to shoot Magnus as he began his transformation to fight back.

"Let me take care of her." Magnus growled when the other Autobots started to transform to join them.

WHAM!

To everyone's surprise, they had nearly missed the loud revving engine that came out of nowhere and a big black truck slammed right into Nemesis Strika, sending her crashing across the somewhat empty forest road right into trees. It was soon joined by two more vehicles; a metallic green Jeep and an electric blue Porsch, which its doors swung open, letting two men hurry and jump out before it began to transform along with the Jeep and the big black truck.

"Dammit! Doesn't anyone listen to me any more?" Ultra Magnus growled as he stood protectively over Rex, who was looking with shock and awe.

It didn't take the young teenager even a minute to realize that the three new arrivals were Autobots, their selves. Especially when the big black one pointed huge cannons at Nemesis Strika as she stood up, glaring at it with hate. She was definitely out numbered and very pissed off that there were too many interuptions. "You!" she snarled at the big black robot as it began to charge its cannons at her.

"Ironhide! If you shoot her, I will kick your aft! She wants to settle this with me, then you better let her!" Magnus growled at the big black robot.

The Jeep robot and the Porsch robot both looked over at the Autobot Commander with quite a surprised look. They honestly couldn't believe that they were even seeing him, or any of the others for that matter. "Whoa! Is that Ultra Magnus? Dude, I didn't think we'd ever see your aft again, sir." The electric blue Autobot said, grinning.

"Shut up, Hot Rod! I'm seriously ticked off right now! Ironhide, get those pea-guns off of Nemesis Strika! She's mine!" Magnus growled as he stomped forward, sharing a glare with the big black Autobot. "She has threatened my boy for the very last time! I am done being nice to her!"

The big black Autobot snorted before lifting his huge cannons and giving him a sour look. "Don't you be insulting my cannons, Ultra Magnus." He growled. "I see you're still grumpy as ever."

"Dude, that is one big ass Autobot." One of the men, the African-American one said as he looked straight up at Ultra Magnus. He was sure surprised by the size of the Autobot Commander. "Looks like Hound was right this time. We did find an Autobot facing off with a Decepticon over here."

Magnus ignored whatever the big black Autobot was starting to grumble about and turned towards Nemesis Strika, glaring at her. "All right, Nemesis Strika. You want this done and over with, then let's do it. But we're going to make this very short. One shot and that's it. You miss me, you get the Pit out of here and don't you ever threaten Rex again. You hit me, you can take me out. Got that?" He growled at her ignoring the frightening whimper from the young teenager.

Nemesis Strika just glared at him before she stepped back, lowering her head. "I don't trust your pathetic allies, Ultra Magnus. We will settle this score one day. But thanks to your fragging Ironaft, there, my cannons are no longer working!" She shot the black Autobot a nasty look.

Annoyed, Magnus looked at the black Autobot, who snorted. "Nice going, Ironhide." He grunted at him.

"What? I didn't know you wanted to have a shoot out with her. I saw a damn Con and I went for it." Ironhide growled right back at him. He turned his eyes back onto Nemesis Strika, who was already speeding away in her vehicle form. "Don't matter anyway. The cowardly Glitch is already leaving."

Magnus sighed and growled at the same time before he folded his guns back into his arm and turned around to look down at Rex. "Rex, are you all right?" He asked reaching down and helping the teen back to his feet.

Rex, still quite shaken, just looked up at him as he stood up with his help before nodding. "Yeah. I'm okay. I didn't even see her coming." He said, now dusting off his pants.

"I don't think any of us did. She must have been following us all the way from the Department base." Cheetor stated.

"DUDE! Cheetor!" The electric blue cheered loudly and grinning at the Maximal, who grinned right back and sauntered over to greet him. "Mech, where the hell have you been? You've been out of commission for nearly fifty years now!"

Cheetor just grinned even bigger as he looked up at the Jeep who was grinning back as he bent down and patted him on the back. He didn't really say as he noticed the three new arrivals were starting to look at Magnus and then everyone else. He knew very well that it was about to get very interesting once the other Autobots finished transforming back into their bipedal forms.

And sure enough, Ironhide, Hound and Hot Rod froze when they got a good look at the Autobots that were with Ultra Magnus.

"Oh. My. Primus." Ironhide said, sounding completely shocked. He didn't even notice the confused looks that Will and Epps were giving him as they looked between him and the other Autobots that they didn't even know. They hadn't even noticed the fiery red femme lingering in the back somewhere behind Inferno. But they did notice the way that Ironhide was staring at the black and pink femme who was smiling at all three of the new Autobots.

Even Rex was frowning in confusion as he looked the three Autobots over. He wanted to just laugh at the looks on their faces, trying to figure out why they were so shocked. He understood why they were stunned about Elita One. But he didn't know why they were staring at Red Alert as if he was a ghost.

"Dude, aren't you two suppose to be dead back on Cybertron?" Hound asked, pointing at Elita One and Red Alert, with his jaw dropped wide open.

Elita One, along with everyone, just smiled and shook their heads. "It's a very long story, Hound. It's good to see all three of you again. It warms my spark to see that you're still alive and kicking it here on Earth." She told them.

"Damn, Elita. You just shocked the Pit out of us by being here. I really hope you have a good explanation about why you're still alive. But I can guarantee you, Optimus is going to be offlining as soon as he sees you." Ironhide said, finally grinning. He almost looked like he was looking forward to see the look on Optimus' face when he seen Elita One.

"OH!" Hot Rod suddenly exclaimed before he charged forward, and threw himself around Inferno. His sudden reaction forced Spitfire to have step back out from behind Inferno, and once again, Ironhide and Hound's jaws nearly hit their chests. And it wasn't just them, it was the two humans. "SPITFIRE! OH, MY PRIMUS! YOU'RE ALIVE!" The electric blue Autobot exclaimed cheerfully before throwing his arms around her and began spinning her around, making her laugh a little.

Spitfire patted Hot Rod on the back before she was put back down. She turned her nearly white-blue eyes on Ironhide only to tense up when it was his turn to rush forward and lift her up into a metal crushing hug. "He-hey, Ironhide. It's great to see you." She said, laughing now.

"Don't you ever, ever do that again to us, Spitfire." Ironhide growled at her before putting her back down. "You scared the living Pit out of me, and Optimus and I can't even begin to think of how to tell you how Bumblebee has taken it to you blowing yourself up just to destroy Cataclysm! We all thought you were dead! Do you know what your so called death did to Bee or Elena?" He growled at her.

Spitfire ducked her head a little shamefully but shook her head. "It's a really long story, Ironhide. All I can say is that I did nearly offline after the explosion and you will not believe who put me back together." She told him.

"I think you better tell us the entire story on the way back to the base." Will stated, looking around at everyone. "Looks like we're not going to get bored on the way back."

"Hey, by the way," Epps stated, now pointing at Rex. "Where did the kid come from and what is his name? And where the heck is his arm?"

Rex grimaced when he was suddenly noticed by the new arrivals, more or less, so was his lost left arm. He lowered his head until Magnus started to growl at the man who just pointed him out. He looked quickly up at his Guardian and waved his one good hand at him. "No, Magnus. It's okay. I think I better get used to people asking me about my arm." He turned back to the two men who had somewhat approached him but kept a good distance away from him to keep the big red Autobot Commander from growling at them agan. "My name is Rex. Rex Rory. I lost my arm when my parents were killed in an freak accident. But like Elita One and Spitfire said, it's a long story. But I can tell it on the way to see Optimus Prime." He told him.

Will and Epps glanced at one another before they looked up at Ironhide, Hound and Hot Rod, giving them all a nod. "Well, we've got plenty of time to hear it all. Let's start rolling and you guys start talking. Starting with the kid first." The Major stated, smiling at Rex. "I'm really interested to hearing how you even met an Autobot and got mixed up with this whole mess."

Rex could only smile sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck. He really wanted to tell that man that he had no idea of how interesting his story was going to be right now.


	20. Chapter 20 Reunion

Title: Big Bad and Red

Genre: Action/Drama/Friendship

Rating: T for some strong language, some violence, mild adult content, some crude humor.

Summary: Sixteen year old, city slicking orphan child, Rex Rory lives in Alabama and he has only one arm. What else can go wrong? Oh...yeah. He just met a huge alien robot that turns into a big, temperamental, red Mack semi truck.

* * *

~Chapter Twenty~

_Reunion_

* * *

It had been truth to what Will Lennox said about the long journey back to Nevada was not going to be boring at all. The entire time of driving along the high way, Rex explained his entire story to the two American soldiers and the three listening Autobots. He told them how he lost his parents, much to the sympathy from all five of their new companions and how he lost his arm. He explained to them how he was sent to live with his uncle's family, which Will evidently made everyone pull over and practically forced the teen to call and let them know that he was doing okay. Rex had made a fuss about that one but he caved in when Magnus joined Lennox in getting him to talk to his family. He had no choice but to let his Aunt and Uncle know where they were headed, though he didn't give them all of the details.

Now, they were probably flying out to Nevada to meet him there. Rex could only imagine what kind of lecture Uncle Jeffery was going to give him.

But either way, Rex told the soldiers and the Autobots his entire story of his adventure with Ultra Magnus. He even told them about the Department and that had them frowning for hours as they tried to think of who these Department people were. Hound couldn't even find any files on them at all so he was completely out of the loop.

After Rex finished his story, it was Elita One's turn to start explaining. She told Ironhide, Hound and Hot Rod of how a part of the All Spark's power was sent back to Cybertron, attracted to the Matrix of Leadership that belonged to only Optimus Prime. She told them that that piece of power had jump started her and she used a bit of the Matrix's power to revive Red Alert and several other Autobots, who had yet to arrive. It seemed to be a very good piece of news on the three Autobots' part. They were sure happy to hear it.

And now, it was Spitfire's turn.

Sighing, the red femme really didn't want to explain it right now but Ironhide wasn't giving her much of a choice. "I did blow up, Ironhide." She began to explain. "I was heavily damaged and almost completely offlined. But there was still a shed of spark in my chest cavity so that's how I stayed online for a little while longer. But," She paused for a moment, almost hesistating. "It was Starscream, Ironhide. He found me and began to work on me immediately."

"Starscream?" Quick Change, Cheetor and Inferno exclaimed, quite stunned.

"Spitfire, you didn't say that it was Starscream who saved your life." Elita One said, sounding as if she was frowning. "Why didn't you tell us that?"

Spitfire sighed again. "I was trying to think of a way to let you know without you getting mad at me. I know we're enemies with him, but he's not my enemy. We're not friends but we're not against one another. He found me and put me back together. He saved my life. He wasn't happy when I decided to return to Optimus and the Autobots but he never stopped me. He just made it very clear that he's going to be expecting back pay for what he's done for me. I can't even imagine what he's going to ask for." She grumbled. "Well, either way, I found Elita One and the others and I've been leading them back to Optimus."

Ironhide merely grunted as he drove along the highway. He didn't know exactly how to respond to that.

"Well, either way, it's very good to see all of you again. We thought we'd lost all of you." Hound said gently. "It's going to be a major surprise to the others. I can't wait to see Optimus' face when he sees you, Elita. And you, Spitfire. Bumblebee's been a huge mess without you. All he's been doing is sitting in Sam's garage, collecting dust. It's got everyone very worried about him."

Spitfire just sighed. "I'm sorry, everyone. And I'm really sorry to Bumblebee. But if I hadn't stopped Cataclysm, we would have a bigger threat on our hands." She stated.

"Yeah, yeah. We know that, Spitfire. But with you coming back," Ironhide grunted. "I hope it's enough to bring Bumblebee out of it. It's been stressing Optimus out with his behavior lately. He had no idea of how to help him. And with the Decepticons mostly laying low, doing nothing, it's got everyone a little stir crazy."

"And now with Nemesis Strika wandering around, it might've gotten a little crazier." Hot Rod announced. "If I remember right, she ain't in the right state of processor. She's very crazy."

"Yes, she is." Magnus grumbled. "But when the time comes, I'll be the one to deal with her. It's me she's after, not anyone else. She's still crazy about what I did to Old Obsidian."

Everyone went quiet after that as they began to hit the Nevada borderline. It was almost time to see everyone's reaction. Rex was feeling a little nervous about meeting Optimus Prime after all that Ultra Magnus had said about him. He felt like he was about to meet the President of the United States. It was very exciting yet scary at the same time.

* * *

Of course, along the way to the Hoover Dam, Ironhide had suddenly announced that no one was there right now. He had radioed ahead to let Optimus know that he, Hound and Hot Rod were returning with Will and Epps but he hadn't told the Autobot Leader of what they found along the way. He had wanted to make it a surprise. Everyone understood very well of what he was trying to do and it made some of them excited.

But Optimus Prime, the Autobots and their human counterparts were finally taking some time off and trying to enjoy their selves at a huge car show, sponsored by Optimus' own human ward, Reno Banes. It came as a surprise to all of the Autobots, other than Ironhide, Hound and Hot Rod. Elita One and the others had never guessed that Optimus would have taken a human to protect himself. But according to Ironhide, Optimus had gotten close to Reno and they had decided to be partnered up. It was almost a dream come true for Reno Bane's though. He had always to have a nice Semi truck like Optimus Prime. So far, Optimus and Reno were enjoying each other's friendship quite a bit.

It was also going to the car show that Optimus Prime had managed to get Bumblebee to come out of his slump and go to. Somehow, he had managed to talk the young Scout to get out of the garage and enjoy the sun.

And according to Optimus through Ironhide, Bumblebee was out but he wasn't enjoying it.

The car show was near Las Vegas City and they had a lot of things going on. There were hundreds, if not thousands of cars being shown there. There were even races going on and quite a lot of people enjoying their selves. There was even a concert going on, where people were singing.

It brought memories back to Rex as he thought about his mother's broadway shows. It was a sad memory but happy at the same time. He really missed it.

As all of the Autobots drove into the show and parked on the far side, Will and Epps had taken off to find out where everyone was at. They weren't going to spoil the surprise, of course. But they were going to mention to what Autobot or the humans they knew that they had a surprise for them. It was going to be enough to intrigue Optimus Prime and his Autobots.

So all they had to do was wait.

While waiting, Rex was getting a good look around as he sat down on Magnus' hood with his human form. He was already being noticed by other people and it made him look away in forlorn when he caught them staring at his lost left arm. He really hated people staring.

Magnus seemed to have noticed because he shot anyone looking a dark look and they stopped very quickly. After that, he dropped his arm around Rex's shoulder, making him look up at him and smile.

"Hi!"

Rex's eyes snapped open wider before he looked to see who was talking to him and he nearly froze when he saw a very pretty blond girl standing below him. He had to stare at her with his mouth open a little.

The girl was blonde, of course, but she also had red streaks running through her hair. She had a face to die to for and she was no doubt his age. She was wearing a blue jean skirt flaring a little at the bottom a little while she wore a red halter top, showing off her toned stomach a little. She was wearing sandles on her feet. But in her hand, she was holding a clipboard.

Still, Rex stared at her, somewhat taken back that she was even talking to him. He almost missed the nudge that Magnus gave him and he glanced up to see that the sandy blonde haired man was smirking down at him. He felt his cheeks flush when he realized he had been gawking at the girl. He looked back at her to see that she had a coy smile and it didn't take him a minute to realize that she knew he had been staring at her for a reason. "Uh...h-hi." He said, a little sheepishly.

The girl just smiled more brightly before she pressed the clipboard close her chest. "Hi. Um, I just saw you just sitting over here and I wanted to come say hi. My name is Elena Lincoln. And I was wondering if you wanted to sing in the talent show that we're having in a minute." She told him.

That stunned Rex even more before he made a grimace and shook his head. "Oh...no. I...I can't..." He was saying.

"Sure, he will!" Magnus said, grinning, earning a shocked look from the teenager he was sitting next to. "Sure, he'll sing! He's got one helluva voice and he'll blow everyone away here. His name is Rex Rory. Put him down on your paper."

Rex just gawked at Magnus as if he just went crazy.

The girl, Elena just smiled brightly at Magnus and nodded as she quickly jotted down Rex's name before waving at the two. "Okay! You'll be called up when your turn comes. See you later, Rex." She said and she was hurrying away before Rex could even protest.

Once she was gone, Rex looked wide eyed at Magnus in disbelief. "Magnus! Are you crazy? I am not getting up there to sing in front of all of these people! I can't...! They'll all laugh at me! I'm one armed!" He almost exclaimed.

Magnus just grinned at him before reaching over and ruffling his hair. "Oh, come on, Rex. You can do it. I only said that to help you with that girl. I saw the way you were staring at her. Why not impress her with the way you can sing?" He told him, quite amused. He almost laughed at the look that Rex gave him. He knew very well that the teen wasn't happy with him. But he wasn't pissed, exactly. "Come on, Rex. It's time to step up. Why not sing in memory of your parents? I'm sure they want you to keep on singing for them."

Rex slumped a little, sighing heavily. He knew that Magnus had a point. His parents would want him to keep singing. But he did not want to sing in front of all of these people and have them laugh at him for having only one arm. "Magnus." He groaned, covering his eyes with one hand.

"Hey, guys! We found all of them! They're way on the other side of this big crowd trying to get Bumblebee to stop being such a grump." Hot Rod said as he walked up in his human form. He then frowned when he noticed Rex. "Hey, little dude. What's wrong?"

Giving his best friend a look, Rex looked right at Hot Rod and groaned again. "Some cute girl walked up and asked me if I wanted to sing in the talent show and Magnus told her to put my name down anyway. Now I have to sing in front of all of these people! I so don't want to do this because they're going to make fun of me." he said grumpily.

Hot Rod blinked a few times before grinning. "Dude, that's awsome! That would be so much fun to do! They don't care if you can't sing or anything. It's just for fun." He told him.

"Oh, no, Rod. Rex can sing." Magnus said still smiling slyly as he eyed the boy next to him. "He's just worried what they're all going to say about his left arm. A lot of people already started staring at it and he's getting tired of it. But that's why I say let him sing. That will make them stop staring at it and start staring at him."

Grinning, Hot Rod just nodded and placed his hands on his waist. "That's a great idea, Mags. Come on, Rex. These people want to stare, give them something really to stare at. I was planning on doing the talent show with the twins. But if you want, I'll do it with you instead. Come on, little dude. Sing with me." He told him.

Of course, his words didn't seem to pass by Elita One, Chromia, or Spitfire. They all looked away from listening to the humans singing on the stage and at Hot Rod and Rex before walking over to them to get involved in the conversation. "Singing? Rex, you singing in the talent show?" The fiery red haired femme asked, smiling in wonder.

"I don't want to. People are going to stare at me and my arm." Rex said, looking away with a disgruntled look.

Smiling, Spitfire glanced at Elita One then to the other two femmes. She was coming up with a pretty good idea of what they could do to help. "Hey, Rex. It's okay. Let them stare at you. Let them stare at all of us." She smiled brightly at everyone. "Maybe this is a way we can surprise Optimus and the others. Let them see us on the stage, singing with Rex. I bet you anything, that will get their attention." She told them.

Everyone paused to let the idea settle in and they began to like the idea. Minus, Prowl and Inferno that is. They didn't care for singing at all. But Quick Change was grinning and rubbing his hands together. "That's a great idea, Spit. Let's do it. If it's gonna help Rex get up there, I'm in!" He said brightly.

Elita One just nodded as she shared a glance with Chromia and Moonracer. "I think we will help too. It sounds like fun." The femme Leader remarked.

Rex grimaced to think that he was still going to have to sing but with a glance at Magnus, he tilted his head. He had a pretty good idea how to pay him back for this. "The only way I'll get up there and sing in front of all of these people is if you do it too, Magnus. You have got to come up and sing with us." He told him boldly.

Now, it was Magnus' turn to grimace as he leaned a little ways from him. He couldn't believe that Rex was actually telling him that. But he should have known that would come right back at him. "Rex, I'm not much of a singer. That would be a bad idea." He stated.

"Magnus, you're making Rex get up there. Now I'm making you get up there." Elita One said rather slyly. "If you don't get up there, I am going to make sure to tell Optimus that you actually chickened out on something."

Ultra Magnus pretty much glared at Elita One for that. But he knew that she caught him. "Fine." He growled.

Even Rex had to grin at his reaction. He was very thankful for Elita One speaking up like that to Magnus. He felt like he would have more fun if he was actually sing with Magnus right beside him. He knew that the Autobot Commander could sing. He had heard him when they had been with the Rainwater family and he had sang for that family. It was just be that much funner to be singing with him.

It was right at that moment that Ironhide and Hound walked up in their holoforms with Lennox and Epps. They were all smiling and looking pretty happy about something. So it was Rex's guess that their plan was working.

"So, do they know about us yet?" Magnus asked, looking directly at Ironhide.

Grinning, Ironhide shook his head before he walked over to Chromia's human form and wrapped his arm around her waist, much to Rex's surprise. He had briefly heard that they were together but since then he met either one, they hadn't really interacted in such a way as they were now. "Nope. They don't know that you're here. For a moment, we thought that Ratchet might have caught scent of you guys but he's got his hands full with the twins." He said grinning almost evilly.

Some of the Autobots sighed and rolled their eyes at the sound of the twins, though Rex was kind of grinning.

"Primus, what are they doing now?" Inferno grumbled, folding his human arms.

"Oh...let's just say I got them to keep Ratchet too busy to be running scans all the time." Ironhide said, quite slyly. He, Hound, Hot Rod and the two human soldiers almost laughed when all of the Autobots, minus Elita One shuddered at the very thought of what the twins might have been doing.

Suddenly, there was a blasting horn going off somewhere from the other side of the crowd and quite a few people looked in the direction, including Rex and the Autobots. The horn and car alarm going off sure was loud though. It almost sounded like someone was swearing from all the way where they were.

Ironhide only chuckled evilly. "Whoops. They started early." He laughed with Hound and Hot Rod.

Feeling very curious, Rex looked in the direction where the sound was coming from, stretching his neck a little so he could see better. He immediately spotted a lime green Search and Rescue Hummer's lights and sirens going off from over nearly a hundred heads between them. It was way across the crowds and quite a few vehicles, so his Autobot friends were well hidden from Optimus Prime and his Autobots. But he could see the source of the noise and there was a middle aged man yelling at a pair of look alikes, which had to be the so called twins, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker that Magnus had told him about.

By the looks of it, the twins had thrown buckets of water all over the Hummer and the middle aged man, seeing that he was dripping wet. And they were nearly laughing their asses off, ignoring the fact that they were getting yelled at. Anyone standing around the Hummer was either laughing or shaking their heads.

Rex, however, let his eyes fall onto a rather large red and blue Semi truck that was parked near the Hummer, where one man was shaking his head and watching as the other yelled at the twins. "Whoa. Is that Optim...?" He found himself asking.

"Whoa! Hey, hey!" Hot Rod quickly said, waving his hands. "Don't say his name right now, kiddo. He might be listening for it. When we went over there, Ironhide wouldn't stop grinning and it's made the big guy a little suspicious. But if you're looking at a huge blue and red truck way over there, yeah. That's him." He added with a grin.

"He is so cool looking! That paint job! Cool!" Rex had to say with a big grin. But then he winced when Magnus cleared his throat loudly, making him look at him. He gave his best friend a sheepish look and shook his head. "Don't worry, Mags. I still think you're the best! You'll always be the best!" He told him quickly.

Everyone smiled or laughed while Magnus just grinned at the teen before ruffling his hair, much to Rex's protest.

While Rex was looking at Optimus Prime and whatever vehicles that were near him, he didn't notice that the talent show had started and people started singing. He had been too busy scanning out the Autobots and asking Hot Rod or Hound if one of the vehicles he pointed out where one of their companions. He eventually managed to spot every single Autobot that was way on the other side of the crowd.

And he had not missed the yellow and black Camero where three somewhat gloomy looking people were leaning against the hood. He had a feeling that one of them was the human form of Bumblebee. It was probably the one that the other two were, the young man and young lady were looking at almost sympathetically. Rex eventually glanced over at Spitfire and did notice that she was looking in that direction too. She had a guilty and sad look on her face.

Smiling somewhat, Rex hopped down from Magnus and went over to her human form to lean against her real body. He gave her a smile when she looked at him. "It's all right, Spitfire. You're going to see him pretty soon. I'm sure he's going to snap right out of it, like Ironhide said." He told her.

Spitfire smiled faintly back at him before she dropped an arm around his shoulders and pecking him right on the forehead, much to his embarrassment. "You are a sweet kid, Rex. Thank you." She told him softly.

"Rex!" Hot Rod suddenly called over to him. "Come on, you guys! We're up! They're calling for you on the stage!"

Rex looked over at Hot Rod before grimacing as he saw him waving him over. He would have laughed though when he saw that the Autobot had a hold of Magnus' arm and was trying to drag him towards the stage. Magnus didn't look happy but he was motioning for Rex to join him. He grimaced again, only to look up at Spitfire when she wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

Spitfire gave him a smile and a light hug with her one arm. "You're going to be great, Rex. I know you will." She told him softly as she walked with him towards the others.

"Uh...you're coming right?" Rex asked nervously.

The red haired girl just smiled at him and nodded as she dropped her arm and started towards Elita, Chromia and Moonracer. "Yeah. Elita, Chromia, Moonracer and I are going to be behind the stage where no one will see us. We're going to join you on the stage once you get started. Be your back up dancers and singers. Don't worry too much. Rod and Magnus is going up with you, so you're not going to be up there by yourself." She told him.

Rex merely nodded, feeling somewhat nervous. He could feel his only hand shaking a little as he thought about the minute he was up on the stage with Hot Rod and Magnus. He knew people were going to stare at him and his lost left arm. He just hoped that no one started making fun of him as soon as they saw him. But with a shaking breath, he joined Magnus and Hot Rod heading towards the stage. As far as he knew, Prowl, Red Alert, Inferno and Cheetor were just going to watch from their real forms. They had decided not to join them in this expedition of music. It wasn't like Cheetor could anyway. He couldn't take human form. Hound was already walking back to the other Autobots with Epps and Lennox.

"So, Rex, you ready?" Hot Rod asked, grinning at him.

Making a pained smiled, the teenager just merely shrugged as he rubbed his left stump, already noticing that a few people were looking at him. He cringed a little away from them until he was nearly pressing against Magnus' side, who was already glaring at those who started staring at his young friend. "I guess. It's been a long time since I sang in front of a crowd though. I'm kind of nervous." He told Hot Rod.

Hot Rod just smiled at him as he threw his arm around his shoulders and lead him straight towards the stage, where the last contestants was finishing up. "Ah, you'll be fine, Rex. Don't worry. Mags and I are going to be right there with you and the girls are going to be right behind you. You got an idea what you want us to sing?" He asked.

Rex grimaced again as he searched his mind. He knew a lot of songs because of his parents. He had spent his entire life memorizing a lot of them because he wanted to follow in their footsteps. He knew most Broadway songs but he knew a fair decent of just usual songs. "Uh...well...not really." He admitted.

"Well, you better come up with something pretty quickly. Reno's the one who's making your introductions. He'll need to know what song you're wanting to sing." Hot Rod told him still smiling. "Come on. Think of something really upbeat that will drive the crowd nuts and cheer their afts off because for you."

Making a face, Rex quickly went through the very, very long list of songs that was in his head. He was coming up blank though. He couldn't think of one. He was sort of thinking about doing the very last song that he sang before his parents died but he wasn't sure if that was going to be a good one with the Autobots. It brought back the memory of his parents being killed and he didn't want to be reminded of that. Not with Magnus and the Autobots backing him up on the stage.

And then it hit him.

Rex felt his mouth curve into a smile before he looked right up at Magnus. "Okay. I got one. It's one that my parents and I used to sing when I was very little." And he told it to his two friends, who looked up the lyrics to the song before they both grinned and nodded their approval.

Rex, Magnus and Hot Rod all approached the stage, where a man was looking at a clipboard while the people still on the stage was finishing up their number. He was a tall, country looking guy, yet he did have some kind of rock look to him at the same time. He was quite odd, but very handsome. Hot Rod just grinned when he saw him, which when he finally looked up to see them walking up, he returned the grin.

"Rod! What's up, man?" The man said, lowering the clipboard and offered his fist to the Autobot.

Hot Rod just grinned and shook his head as he bumped his fist with the man's. "Nothing much, Reno." He glanced over his shoulder at the nervous looking Rex and a grumpy looking Magnus but he chose to ignore the latter one as he turned back to the man. "I'm going to be backing up my friends on the stage. The kid's pretty nervous about going up there in front of all these people." He told him.

The man tore his eyes away from Rod and looked at Rex. He looked him over, his eyes flickering over his lost arm for only a second but he didn't stare. He seemed to know that it was rude doing that. He just smiled at Rex and nodded to him. "Okay. What's your name, kiddo?" He asked, glancing down at the clipboard.

"Um...Rex. Rex Rory." The nervous teen muttered. He was quite taken aback after hearing who this man was. He remembered well that this man was Optimus Prime's friend so he obviously knew who Hot Rod really was. He was just glad that Reno Banes hadn't stared at his arm like people usually did. He didn't even seem to care that he was just a one armed kid.

Reno looked through the names on the clipboard before nodding and tapping the paper as if he found the name. "Okay. Rex Rory. I see Elena got a hold of ya." He said grinning at the teen. "You know what song you want to sing, Rex?"

Nervously, Rex nodded as he spared Reno a somewhat shy smile. "Yeah. I do. Hot Rod is going to be blasting it." He said in a low voice. Of course, he didn't actually mean to use Hot Rod's full name. He grimaced when he caught himself and glanced at Hot Rod, who didn't seem to care at all.

The man stared right at the teenager with almost surprise before he turned his eyes quickly to Hot Rod, who was grinning like a mischievously at him. He was like that for a moment before narrowing his eyes at him and stepping closer to the Autobot Spy Changer. "Rod." He said almost accusingly. "Does He know about this kid knowing who you are?"

Hot Rod continued to grin, trying not to laugh at the look on Reno's face. "Don't you worry about it, Reno. I promise I'm going to introduce the kid to him as soon as we're done on the stage." He told him slyly.

"And him?" Reno asked, nodding to Magnus.

Again, Hot Rod just grinned like the devil at him. "Don't worry about him either, Reno. The big guy knows him very well. He's Optimus' older brother." He told him.

Reno's eyes nearly popped wide open as he looked at Magnus, who was rolling his eyes and folding his arms. It was easy to say that the man was completely stunned by hearing that. He was like that for a moment until he heard the last song being song finally stopping. He managed to shake himself out of his stunned thoughts before making a face at Hot Rod. "Anything else you want to shock the hell out of me with, Rod?" He asked, skeptically.

"Um..." Hot Rod hummed as he tapped his chin before grinning at him. "Why don't you just wait and see, Reno. You gonna announce Rex to sing or you just going to stare at me like that?"

Reno rolled his eyes before shaking his head. He began muttering a little as he turned and walked up the stairs onto the stage. He was quick to placing a grin on his face while the entire hundreds of people were cheering for the last contestants. He walked straight up to the microphone stand and pulled the mike out. "Yeah!" He cheered right into the mike, causing a huge cheerful uproar. "That was awsome, guys! Gyrone Tibson, everyone!" He waited till the loud cheers and applause died down before looking around. "All right! Give it up for our next number, everyone! Slap your hands together for the young and talented Rex Rory!" He yelled into the mike and motioning for Rex to come up.

Taking a deep breath and glancing at Rod and Magnus, Rex climbed up the stairs with his best friend's help a little and walked right over to where Reno was. His left stump was somewhat hidden behind Magnus' big bulky form though while he smiled nervously at all of the many faces that were watching him. He was a little glad that everyone was cheering and applauding him. But he knew that it would die down quickly when they saw his left arm gone.

Hesistating a little right next to Magnus, Rex looked nervously at Reno, who was smiling encourangely at him as he held the mike out to him. "Good luck, Rex. Blow 'em away, all right?" He told him before he turned and walked right off the stage.

Taking the mike, Rex stayed right beside Magnus while he glanced over to see two stage crew bringing two more mikes to his two companions. He noticed one hesistate when they saw his arm. He grimaced at the look that the guy made before he was quick to looking away from the teen when Magnus growled at him. Then the two stage crew were moving off the stage while Rex looked at the crowd that were still cheering for him.

Easing out an unsteady breath, Rex stepped away from Magnus and almost winced when the applause almost died at once while quite a few people suddenly looked surprised. They noticed his left stump.

"Oh, my god." Rex heard someone from near the stage mutter. "Where's his arm?"

Rex almost groaned as he gave Magnus a pained, embarrassed look, whom was glaring at the person who had said that. He wasn't the only one who started glaring at the person in the front. He noticed that Hot Rod was doing it too. So he was obviously not pleased with someone making the teen feeling more uncomfortable than he already was.

"GO, REX! WHOO-HOOO!" He heard a few voices shout from the crowd and Rex's eyes quickly flitted to see who it was.

He almost started grinning when he saw Quick Change jumping up and down on his own car form, throwing his arms in the air. He saw that the Autobot wasn't the only one. He looked over to see Hound shouting with Lennox and Epps, who were getting a few surprised looks from the people around them. He knew very well that those surprised individuals were the Autobots and their human companions.

And then he spotted one other person that was cheering for him. It was the girl, Elena Lincoln as she jumped up and down from near Hound, earning some surprised smiles from the three young adults standing next to her. One of them he hadn't seen with the other two that had been with Bumblebee. He was actually looked a little surprised to see that Hot Rod was up on the stage with him.

Feeling somewhat more confident, Rex glanced at Hot Rod, who grinned at him and nodded for him to start.

Somewhere from behind him, in the loud speakers, music began to boom. The start of the song that Rex was going to sing. _"Disney's Zippa Dee Do Da." _Only, it was remixed into their own version of it.

For a moment, Rex listened to the beginning beat before he lift the mike and began to sing. "Come on, everybody!" He began to sing. "It's a Zippee Day!"

With those words that just came out of his mouth and keeping the beat, the crowd began to cheer and applaude, especially how confident Rex was starting to sing with Hot Rod joining him with the beginning. He grinned at the Autobot as he moved closer to him and they began to sing the chorus, which Magnus joined in. He was glad that his best friend was keeping up the beat with them and actually sounding very good.

The crowd went wild as the three sang the song. They were actually enjoying their selves. Even Magnus was as he kept up with Rex and Hot Rod.

But as they came to a musical solo part, Rex turned around with the other two to look at the stage behind them. It was the que that the femmes' needed to let them know to join them. Elita One, Chromia and Moonracer were the first ones to come on, beginning to dance with the three on the stage already. The crowd went wild again when the ladies joined Rex, Hot Rod and Magnus. They were sure enjoying that part. The ladies danced right near the other three, though they all surrounded Rex and each kissed him on the cheek, making him laugh and blush a little. The crowd sure enjoyed that though and cheered loudly while the ladies backed away and moved onto one side from the three guys.

As the musical solo ended and the song was picking up again, Rex glanced over his shoulder towards the stage. It was time for the main event. And Spitfire came onto the stage, picking up the song again. She had a mike in her hand and was starting to sing along with Rex, Hot Rod and Magnus.

Of course, there were several startled sharp honks from near the back of the crowd.

Rex didn't stop singing with Spitfire, Hot Rod or Magnus as he looked to where the honks came from, only to see several wide and shocked eyes looking straight at Spitfire. He started grinning as he sang with Spitfire, who was smiling brightly towards that part of the crowd. He did notice that the girl, Elena had stopped cheering and looked just as shocked as the rest of the Autobots and some of the humans with them. She was pale and looking stunned before tears started to spring to her eyes.

"Spitfire!" She ended up screaming as she slapped her hands over her mouth. She was no doubt smiling and crying at the same time. She was one very, very happy looking person now.

Rex noticed that the young man sitting on the hood of the yellow camero jumped at the very sound of Spitfire's voice and he was on his feet, looking just as shocked as the others did. He couldn't believe his eyes. He was just standing there, staring at Spitfire as she sang with Rex, Hot Rod and Magnus. It only took him a minute to realize that it really was her before he jumped to his feet and ran towards the stage, ignoring some shouts from the other Autobots and the surprised looks that the three teens with Elena sent after him. The young man quickly approached the stage, looking wide eyed up at Spitfire, who smiled directly at him before she approached the edge of the stage and curled her finger at him. She offered him her hand, which Hot Rod moved over to offer his hand to the young man. The young man, obviously, Bumblebee quickly reached up and grabbed his fellow Autobot's hand, allowing him to pull him up onto the stage.

He did not hesistate at all to throw his arms around Spitfire's waist and lifting her up so that he could spin her in circles, much to her happy laughter. Quite a lot of people in the crowd began to cheer, applaude and wolf whistle. Especially when Bumblebee finally put Spitfire down and kissed her. The crowd definitely went wild.

Rex had to smile and laugh as he kept up the song with Hot Rod and Magnus. They were pretty much rocking the entire car show. He couldn't watch as Bumblebee and Spitfire pulled away from each other and pressed their foreheads together. She kept on singing with the guys though as she held onto the young man in front of her. The look on Bee's face was so priceless though. He looked like he was crying but he was silently laughing as he kept his arms around her waist, looking right into her eyes.

And then the song ended, only to have the loud cheers and applause going on. Everyone in the entire lot was wildly calling Rex's name and cheering him on. He felt so happy that he had actually gotten up there and sang in front of all those people. It was more priceless to him to have seen the looks on Bumblebee's and the other Autobots' faces when they see Spitfire. It was even more priceless when several people came pushing through the crowd and stood at the foot of the stage, looking at Spitfire with shock and awe. They were all looking at her.

Rex just stood with Magnus, smiling grandly as he watched Spitfire with Bumblebee as they just held onto one another. He never felt even more happier in his life just by seeing this reunion.

That is until Elita One walked to the edge and bent down to one knee right in front of the man that Rex had seen next to the huge blue and red Peterbilt truck. He had been looking at Spitfire with a shocked look like everyone else but he tore his eyes away from her and Bee to look up at the woman bent over him.

For a moment, he didn't even seem to know who she was as she just smiled at him in a coy way. He was frowning in confusion as he stared at her.

But then his eyes slowly widened with even more shock than he had held for Spitfire's appearence. His mouth fell wide open while Elita One just laughed before she swept her own feet from under her and hopped down from the stage, throwing her arms around Optimus' neck. He wrapped his strong looking arms around her and held her in a tight embrace. He didn't even seem to care that quite a few of his companions were staring at him with alarm as he buried his face right into Elita's neck. He was shaking a little but it was no doubt it was from happiness to see his sparkmate again, and alive. He was just very, very happy to have her back.

Once again, Rex had to smile while he glanced up at Magnus as he dropped his arm around his shoulder. They both grinned at one another before turning to watch as Autobots were reunited with their friends. It was the grandest reunion they had ever seen.

The introductions came soon after that and Rex found himself feeling nervous as soon as everyone found a more secluded area of the car show. He had to watch as all of the Autobots were talking to their long lost comrades, looking so happy to see each other again. Everyone had been shocked to learn that Elita One and Red Alert were alive again. They all had, of course, asked how it was possible but no one explained it just yet until they were well away from all of the crowd.

Rex had watched the reunion from next to Magnus, who hadn't exactly joined in until Optimus Prime seemed to have noticed him finally and looked just as surprised to see him as he had for Elita One.

The man that Optimus Prime looked like walked over with Elita One in his arms and smiled faintly at Magnus, who kept quite a serious look on his face. The Autobot Leader didn't even seem to care that his older brother was trying to stare him down. "Ultra Magnus, my brother." He spoke with a clear, proud voice that just warmed Rex's heart when he heard it. It was almost just like his own father's voice. "It's so very good to see you again, brother. I've been worried about you."

Magnus snorted as he folded his arms and lift his head. He stared Optimus down for a moment before he allowed himself to grin at him and nodded to him. "Good to see you too, Optimus." He glanced down at Rex, who stepped back a little, looking nervous. He ignored the nervous look that the teen was giving his younger brother as he clapped a hand onto his back. "Optimus, I want to meet someone very special. This is Rex Rory. I've taken the liberty of becoming his Guardian." He stated.

Optimus Prime, and a few others who had heard that, did look quite surprised as they all looked at the teenage boy, who stepped a little closer to Magnus. He did not miss some of the glances to his left arm but he didn't pay too much attention to them as he looked right at the Autobot Leader.

For a moment, Optimus studied Rex curiously before he finally smiled warmly and offered his hand. "Well, this is a pleasure. If my brother wishes to be your Guardian, then you are special. He has never shown any interest of taking up a young ward." He told him. "I am Optimus Prime, Leader of the Autobots. Welcome to our somewhat strange family mixture of Autobots and humans put together. " He stated warmly.

Rex had to smile as he took Optimus' offered hand and shook it. "The pleasure is all mine, Optimus Prime. Ultra Magnus is my best friend. He's been nothing but great to me." He glanced up at Magnus, grinning at him. "He saved my life in more ways than I can even recount."

"And you saved mine, Rex." Magnus said, placing an arm around his shoulders and giving him a gentle embrace.

"Dude! I can't believe this! Ultra Magnus is actually being nice!" One of the twins remarked, looking quite stunned. "Someone must have killed the real Ultra Magnus and replaced him! Hound, Ratchet! Quick! Run scans and find out who that really is!"

Magnus growled both his Semi engine and his human form as he shot the twin a very dark look. "Shut up, Sideswipe or I'll come over there and kick your aft!" He snapped. "It is me, you idiot!"

Everyone laughed while both twins cringed away from Magnus, already not wanting to get on his nerves. "Yup. It is him. I recognize that grumpy attitude anywhere." The twin, Sideswipe remarked before yelping and ducking behind his twin brother when Magnus made a move to storm towards him. It only made everyone laugh harder.

* * *

His time with the Autobots was more fun than he ever had in his entire life but it was starting to run short. Rex had learned all of the Autobots' names and all of their humans. He had met the infamous Sam Witwicky and his gorgeous girlfriend, Mikaela and their best friend, Trent DeMarco. He shared laughs with the twins as he was introduced to them and watched as Ratchet ended up chasing them down after they threw soda filled balloons at his real body.

Rex learned quite a lot while being with the Autobots. He had never enjoyed his life more than he had during the week with them. He felt like he truly belong with them as he made friends out of every single one of them. He made friends out of Sam, Mikaela, Trent, Reno and even more to his pleasure, out of the pretty Elena Lincoln, whom he was greeted by the warmest.

But after the week was over, it was finally time to end it.

After a week of staying with the Autobots in the Hoover Dam, he finally got word that his relatives were coming to get him and take him home. He was not happy to hear that he would be leaving the Autobots. It had nearly broken his heart to think that he would be going back to Alabama with them. He would be leaving Ultra Magnus, his best friend. Everyone had noticed the sudden change in him and they felt pretty sympathetic towards him. They had done a lot to try and cheer him up, promising him that they would try and come visit. But it didn't always work. Even Magnus couldn't find a way to get Rex to smile again when he learned that he would be leaving them soon. He did his best to stay by the teenager so that they would have more time to spend together before they parted ways. It was a little comforting to Rex but it still hurt to think that he would be leaving the Autobot Commander's side. And probably for good.

At the end of the week, the Rory Family finally arrived to the Hoover Dam and Rex was quickly pulled into tight hugs from his aunt and cousins. He felt guilt striking at him when he noticed how badly Aunt Jan was crying from worrying about him so much. He did his best to keep a smile on his face but it didn't always work. Especially when he noticed two very familiar people that had arrived with his relatives.

It was the two Social Workers he had met the day of his parents' funeral, Jennifer Murphey and her partner, Earl Whyte. And neither one looked happy at all. They actually had very serious looks on their faces as they watched him being reunited with his family. He suddenly had a bad feeling of why they were there.

Not long after, Rex found out.

"Rex," Jennifer began carefully once they were seated in a room in the Base. She was sitting right next to her partner while Rex was sitting with his relatives, all looking stone faced. She had not objected like her partner had when Magnus and Optimus both requested that they sat in the meeting with them and Rex's family. They were standing off to the side with Lennox and Epps, as well as a man that Rex recognized from his parents' funeral. He had learned that the man's name was Tom Banachek and he had been somewhat friends with his father, Quinn Rory when they were in high school together. "Rex, you got yourself into a lot of trouble when you ran away from home. There has been an investigation when you went missing and we found out what has been happening since you started living with your family in Alabama."

Rex made a wince as he held hands with his Aunt. He knew that it was coming. He could already feel it.

"As far as we understand, there's been a few problems under your uncle's roof with you." Earl Whyte began as soon as his partner was finished. "We've been talking to Jeffery and he's admitted that you have been getting into trouble at your school. Fights at school, with classmates, with your cousin," He glanced at Derrick, who grimaced at the very sound of the tone of his voice. "Nearly getting drowned by a fellow classmate. That does not look good at all on your record."

"S-so...what does that mean?" Rex found himself ask, his voice somewhat trembling. He could already feel a twinge of fear within himself.

Jennifer Murphey and Earl Whyte glanced at one another before looking at Jeffery, who sighed heavily and turned towards his nephew. "It means what I said would happen, Rex." He told him carefully. "The Family Social Center has decided that they're taking you away from us. It wasn't working out, Rex. You're being put in the Foster Care program because of the things that were happening. I'm so sorry that it didn't work out, Rex. I tried fighting them after the investigations. I had decided not to do that to you. But my hands are tied now." He told him, sounding extremely upset.

Rex felt his heart falling within his chest as he looked at his uncle then to his crying aunt. He couldn't believe this. He was being taken away from the Autobots and now he was being taken away from the only family he knew just to be put into some stranger's home. He couldn't even stop his eyes from watering. "Uncle Jeffery, I'm so sorry that I ran away! It's just...I...I just needed a break." He said, his breathing picking up rapidly.

Sighing, Jennifer Murphey shook her head as she looked at him saddly. "Running from home was not an option, Rex. That just caused a lot more problems for you and your family." She told him, trying not to sound like she was lecturing him. But it wasn't exactly working.

"Kid, that should have been the very last option on your mind." Earl Whyte said, not caring that he was lecturing the teenager. "That was very, very stupid of you to do."

"Hey!" Magnus growled, now glaring at the Social Worker but he stopped when Optimus turned his head towards him and placed his hand onto his shoulder. He didn't say another word after that but Rex knew very well that he so desperately wanted to say something.

Somewhat taken aback from the outburst, Whyte glanced at Magnus a little uneasy like before looking back at Rex. He didn't say another word because his partner was giving him quite the look to watch what he said to Rex. She turned back and shook her head at the teenager. "Rex, I'm sorry we have to do this. But it was foolish of you to run away from home to solve your problems. Because you ran away, it's put a mark on your and family's file and the Social Center wants to put you into a Foster Home. Your Aunt and Uncle did fight us on it but it's been no use. Your actions told us that you didn't want to live with them any more. So we have no choice but to take you from them and put you into a foster home. I'm very sorry but we have to." She told him softly.

Rex lowered his head, not being able to stop at least one tear sliding down his cheek. He knew that she had a point. He should have seen this coming way before the entire thing happened. He should have known that this would have happened. But all he had been trying to do was help a lost Autobot find his people and now, he was somewhat being punished for it.

"Excuse me, Miss Murphey." Epps suddenly spoke up, getting everyone's attention. "I know I'm really not suppose to ask this, but do you even have an idea where Rex is going to be sent?"

Jennifer Murphey frowned slightly before she began looking into her files, looking them over. "Um...we're not really at liberty to answer that. It's suppose to be confidential to the family only. But as far as I know, Rex will probably be sent to a family in Minnesota. There's a Foster Family there that has agreed to take him." she told him, meeting his eyes.

Epps slowly nodded as he folded his arms across his chest. He had a very thoughtful look on his face as if he was trying to come up with something to say. But then he shrugged and tilted his head. "Well, I've got a better idea. How about Rex just moves in with my family? My wife and I can't have kids and we've been talking about taking in a foster kid, ourselves. So why don't he just be ours?" He asked, smiling.

Rex's eyes snapped wide open and he stared at Epps with surprise. He couldn't believe that he just suggested that. And neither could Lennox. He was staring, mouth opened at his best friend as if he couldn't believe that Epps actually just said that.

Frowning, Jennifer Murphey shook her head as she put her files down. "I'm sorry, Mr. Epps. But you're not in the Foster Parent program. We can't just let you take Rex into your family's home without running a background check. And there's a lot of paper work you and your wife would have to fill out. By the time that happens, Rex will be staying in a different Foster home. There's no way you can take him in." She told him.

Epps just narrowed one eye before he quickly glanced at Optimus. He stared at him for a few minutes and Rex noticed that the Autobot Leader had nodded and his eyes seemed to have dimmed a little. "Why don't you check the program again, Miss Murphey?" Epps stated, looking directly at the two Social workers, who were frowning at the protest that he was making.

Sighing, Jennifer Murphey shook her head before pulling out her cellphone and making a call. She waited for a moment before she began talking too softly into it to someone on the other end.

A moment later, she looked almost surprised. "Oh! They are? Oh...okay. Can you do the paper work for me then?" She asked into the phone. "Thanks Sheryl." She hung up and looked a little dazed after having that little conversation. But she turned her eyes onto Epps, still looking dazed. "Mis-Mister Epps, look like you are in the Foster Parent Program. And you and your wife are qualified to take Rex into your home. There's going to be a little paper work for you to do, but you'll be able to take him within the next couple of days." She told him.

Rex felt his face light up as he looked directly at Epps, who spared him a grin and a wink before looking to Jeffery and Jan, who looked just as dazed as the two Social studies. "Of course, as long as it's okay with you lot that me and my wife takes Rex in. We don't want to have any problems with his only family." He announced.

Almost pleadingly, Rex looked at his uncle who met his gaze before looking at his wife. They stared at one another, as if they were having their own private conversation before looking back at Epps and smiling. "Mister Epps, as long as Rex is safe with you and you can help him, we don't mind one bit if he stays with you and your wife. As long as we can make arrangements that Rex visits us on some of the Holidays, we're good." Jeffery said.

A wide smile spread out on Rex's face as he felt his heart beat picking up again and he threw his arm around his uncle. "Thank you, Uncle Jeffery! Thank you so much! This means a whole lot to me!" He said cheerfully. Jeffery, Jan, Terra and Derrick all smiled with everyone else in the room while Rex hugged each and everyone one of his relatives. He even shot to his feet and threw his arm around Epps, who laughed and ruffled his hair. "Thank you, Epps." He whispered to him.

"No problemo, kiddo. And call me Bobby since we're going to be living in the same house." Epps said grinning at him. He then lowered his voice while Jeffery and Jan were making the arrangements with the Social workers. "And I didn't think you wanted to leave us anyway. With you in that mopey mood the past week. There are going to be rules for you to follow, just to let you know. It's mostly about school. You better keep good grades, Rex. Don't want ya to fall behind at all, a'ight?" He asked.

Rex just nodded before grinning over at Magnus, who smiled right back. This only meant that he would be staying in Nevada with the Autobots. He was going to stay with Magnus because of Epps. And even the Autobots. He never felt so much happier in his life as he did now. He felt like he just found a home.

So it couldn't be helped that when the meeting with the Social workers were over, Rex turned his eyes towards the blue sky and he smiled. 'Thanks, mom and dad, for looking out for me. I promise, I will do my best to stay good for Bobby and Monique Epps. And for the Autobots and Magnus.' He thought to himself and to his parents. At least, Rex Rory had found a home with Ultra Magnus and the Autobots.

And it would only be a matter of time when he joined them to finding out more information about the so called Department and facing the Decepticons. But at least, he would be doing it with Ultra Magnus as his Guardian.

A week later after moving in with Epps and his wife, Rex was summoned to see Ratchet and Hound, whom fitted him with a brand new, mechanical arm to replace the one he had lost.

* * *

**Song Used: Disney Mania's Zippa Dee Do Dah-Stevie Brock**


	21. Epilogue The Department Aftermath

Title: Big Bad and Red

Genre: Action/Drama/Friendship

Rating: T for some strong language, some violence, mild adult content, some crude humor.

Summary: Sixteen year old, city slicking orphan child, Rex Rory lives in Alabama and he has only one arm. What else can go wrong? Oh...yeah. He just met a huge alien robot that turns into a big, temperamental, red Mack semi truck.

* * *

~Epilogue~

_The Department Aftermath_

* * *

It was a complete disaster to say the least. The escape of the aliens and the revealment of the Department, it was easy to say that the Head of the Department was not happy one bit. He was seething from listening to all of the reports coming in.

The Montana Department HQ was completely demolished because of the aliens and now they knew that they existed. It would only be a matter of time before they were discovered.

And how did all of this happen?

One little teenage brat and two of their own Agents who had betrayed them.

There were going to be inqueries, of course. Hollander couldn't deny that when his own boss learned how everything began to fall apart. He knew that he was going to get a very big earful from the President of the Department. He had already got yelled at by him about Agents Sean and Cole. But it was only a matter of time before the President started yelling about the destruction of one of their Headquarters and then being revealed to the aliens.

Things were not going very good. It looked like Hollander was going to have to update the plans.

Not to mention, he would need to find out where the hell Sean McCourie and Collette Keller were hiding. He was going to have to find that little brat, Rex Rory too and do something about him. It would have to take a little bit of time with the boy since he was with the aliens and probably being protected by them. But Hollander would have his revenge against the little shit.

As for Agent Freddricks, he was in a whole lot of trouble but Hollander knew that they couldn't retire him. He was too valuable right now because he was the only one that really knew Sean and Cole. They would need him to track those two down and kill them.

_"Mr. Hollander, you have a call on line one. I believe it's the President." _A woman's voice rang through his phone line.

Sighing heavily, Hollander shook his head as he reached for the phone. He knew what was coming. "Here we go." He said before picking it up and pressing against his ear. "Hollander, here, sir. Before you start yelling, I must tell you that it is not my fault." He then jerked his head away from the ear piece as loud yelling came right out, attacking his hearing.

Oh, yes. Hollander thought savagely to himself as he listened to the President yelling at him. He was going to make those Agents and that little snot pay for this.


End file.
